The Tragic Death Of Soap Opera Star Ben Masters

Actor Ben Masters sadly died on January 11 at the age of 75 after contracting COVID-19. According to Deadline, the soap opera star was diagnosed with dementia several years ago and tragically died as a result of the COVID-19 virus at the Eisenhower Medical Center in Palm Springs. Unfortunately, Masters joins the list of beloved soap opera actors who have died. The actor was most famous for his role as billionaire heir Julian Crane on the NBC soap opera, "Passions," which aired from 1999 to 2008, per IMDb. He remarkably appeared in over 770 episodes of the series.

Masters' former "Passions" costar, Eric Martsolf, shared his condolences for the actor by posting an unseen on-set photo of Masters in a tuxedo reading his final script. "I snapped this on the last tape day at Passions," Martsolf wrote on his Twitter. "He was all smiles, and I'll remember him as such. Thank you for your kindness, and rest in peace, Ben."

Although he is most recognized by soap opera fans for his role in "Passions," many don't know that this role was actually Ben Masters' last acting job after a decades-long career. Like a true thespian, he got a degree in Theatre from the University of Oregon and first began working in New York City in the off-Broadway scene before transitioning to on-screen roles, per Soap Opera Digest.

After exploring the world of television throughout the '70s, Masters broke through into the film industry with a role in the 1979 Bob Fosse movie, "All That Jazz," per IMDb. He went on to appear in several projects, like "Kojack," "Mandingo," and "Spy Game."

One of Masters' "Passions" costars, Lindsay Hartley, spoke with Soap Opera Digest in 2019 about his passion for acting. "He's so talented," Hartley gushed. "He was so supportive with everything. He was a team player. He wanted the show to be good and had fun doing it."