The Tragic Death Of Soap Opera Star Jerry Douglas

Jerry Douglas had died. The iconic soap opera star — who was probably best known for his role as John Abbott in "The Young and the Restless" – died aged 88 on November 9 after what his family described as being "a short illness," according to TMZ.

Jerry appeared on the iconic CBS soap opera for a whopping more than three decades, during which time his character was killed off in 2006. The star continued to appear on the show for a few episodes despite his character's death, even appearing as Abbot's ghost and in flashback scenes. But that wasn't the only role he took on during his stint on the show. Jerry also lent his acting chops to another character, Alistair Wallingford, who he played for a few months in 2008.

But that isn't the only place fans will know Jerry from. According to his impressive IMDb resume, he also made an appearance in a couple of episodes of "Melrose Place" in the late 1990s, played several characters in "Barnaby Jones," and popped up in an episode of "Cold Case" in 2007.

Douglas is survived by his wife, Kym Douglas, who fans may know from "The Bold and the Beautiful" and from her appearances on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." Jerry is also survived by his three children, Jodaman Douglas and Avra Douglas, who he shared with his former wife, Arlene Martel, and Hunter Douglas, who he welcomed with Kym.

"The Young and the Restless" executive producer Anthony Morina was one of the first to pay tribute to the late Jerry Douglas in the wake of his death, saying in a statement (via Parade), "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." He added that Douglas' "contribution to the legacy of Y&R as Abbott family patriarch John Abbott is still felt to this day" and noted that the actor "will be sorely missed."

Douglas' on-screen wife, Jess Walton, paid tribute to the star on Twitter, referring to her follow soap opera star as her "dear TV husband." She added, "Thank you for the laughter all those years. Much... love to you and your beautiful family [Kym] and Hunter and everyone." The two starred alongside one another for several years, with Walton having played Jill Abbott since 1987.

Another "The Young and the Restless" star sharing sweet memories was Esther Valentine actor Kate Linder. Linder shared a photo of herself and the late star on Twitter with the caption, "I had the pleasure of working with #JerryDouglas for #manyyears @YRInsider #yr my heart and thoughts are with Kym and the entire Douglas family. #rip #youwillbesorelymissed."

Kym Douglas retweeted several articles about her husband on Twitter and replied to a few tributes. Responding to one obituary, Kym wrote, "Thank you for the lovely article about my husband. He was a wonderful man."