Veteran soap opera star John Reilly, best known for his role in "General Hospital," has died at age 84. The actor's daughter, Caitlin Reilly, announced the news Sunday on Instagram.
"John Henry Matthew Reilly AKA Jack. The brightest light in the world has gone out," she captioned an old photo of herself as a young girl embracing her dad. "Imagine the best person in the world. Now imagine that person being your dad. I’m so grateful he was mine. I’m so grateful I got to love him. I’m so grateful I made it in time to hold him and say goodbye. I honestly don’t know what I’m going to do, but I know he’ll be with me. I love you forever Daddy."
The official "General Hospital" Twitter account also paid tribute to the late actor on Sunday. "The entire General Hospital family is heartbroken to hear of John Reilly's passing," the tweet read. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to his loved ones."
Born in Chicago, Reilly's acting career kicked off in the 1960s after landing minor roles in shows including "Death Valley Days" and "Apple's Way," according to Today. He also appeared in the 1979 film "The Main Event" and 1980's "Gorp" before being cast in a recurring role in "Dallas" in 1983.
In 1984 he landed a career-defining role in "General Hospital," where he would play Sean Donely for 11 years before finally exiting the show in 1994. From there Reilly went on to make several appearances in "Beverly Hills, 90210" and "Passions" in 2005.
Reilly is survived by his wife and three daughters.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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