Caitlin Reilly, a social media personality, revealed on January 10, 2021 that her 84-year-old dad passed away.
Saying goodbye to a beloved parent is hard for everyone, even when their passing was expected. We know that there will be no replication of the relationship and nobody who will love us as our parents do. However, as adult children, we are expected to buckle up and take care of the responsibilities that come after a parent passes away.
Former General Hospital and Dallas TV soap star John Reilly has died, his daughter, Caitlin Reilly, said on Sunday, January 10, as per PageSix. On Instagram, the actress and TikTok personality wrote, "John Henry Matthew Reilly AKA Jack. The brightest light in the world has gone out. 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 veteran actor was 84, and so popular at one point that character actor John C. Reilly had to add his middle initial to be correctly identified, Judd Apatow had once tweeted.
General Hospital in the house. The great John Reilly. He is an awesome actor and the reason the other John has a C. pic.twitter.com/qFPgWUbfnh
— Judd Apatow (@JuddApatow) September 2, 2014
He is survived by his wife Liz and three daughters. Born in Chicago, he appeared on shows like As the World Turns, How the West Was Won, Quincy M.E. before landing a long-lasting role on General Hospital in February 1984. He played the part of Sean Donely, which lasted for 11 years, and he departed after not wanting to renew his contract, according to Yahoo News. His character was written out of the show when he and his onscreen wife Tiffany Hill (Sharon Wyatt) moved out of town. His character lasted through many story arcs, from bad to good, according to Deadline.
Since leaving the show he worked as a voice actor and lent his voice to the character of Hawkeye in the animated Iron Man, played Kelly Taylor’s father on Beverly Hills, 90210. He also worked on daytime dramas Sunset Beach and Passions. He briefly reprised his role as Sean Donely on General Hospital: Night Shift. He played the same character in 2013 for the original soap's 50th anniversary year.
Since finding out about his death, his fans flocked to Twitter to express their grief and condolences to the family. Co-star McKenzie Westmore wrote, "Heartbroken at the passing of my onscreen dad - John Reilly. May he Rest In Peace."
The General Hospital official Twitter account also expressed their condolences to the family. One fan said, "Such a loss! I would love to see a tribute on screen! You have Finola, Tristan, Kristina, John, Leslie, and Jacklyn. It would be great to honor John and what Sean Donnelly meant to us."
To his daughter Caitlyn, many fans wrote in relaying their support for her. "Sending love...so sorry for your loss," said one. While another added, "This must be so hard I’m so sorry for your loss."
RIP.
References:
https://pagesix.com/2021/01/10/general-hospital-vet-john-reilly-dead-at-84/
https://in.style.yahoo.com/john-reilly-general-hospital-alum-070839201.html
https://deadline.com/2021/01/john-reilly-dies-veteran-soap-star-general-hospital-was-84-1234670646/
