US actor Jerry Douglas dies at 88

American actor, Jerry Douglas, best known for his long stint on “The Young and the Restless,” has passed away at the age of 88.

Douglas who took over from Brett Halsey, made his debut on the CBS TV series as John Abbott, the patriarch of the Abbott family in 1982.

While the character’s death was depicted on the show in 2006, Douglas continued to make appearances as hallucinations seen by other characters, his last appearance being in 2016.

The actor’s family has announced that he died on November 9 following a brief illness, with Anthony Morina, executive producer of The Young and the Restless, paying tribute in a statement.

‘On behalf of the entire company of The Young and the Restless, we send our deepest sympathies to the Douglas family on the passing of Jerry Douglas,’ he said.

‘Jerry came to Y&R in 1982 with an impressive resume of credits. Our show was lucky to have an actor of his caliber join the Y&R cast and introduce the audience to the iconic Abbott family.

His contribution to the legacy of Y&R as Abbott family patriarch, John Abbott is still felt to this day. He will be sorely missed.’

Throughout his career, Douglas appeared in films including Avalanche, The Godson and Mommie Dearest, and TV series including Melrose Place, Arrested Development, The Rockford Files, and Mission: Impossible.

He would have celebrated his 89th birthday on Friday, November 12.