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Fans of both daytime and primetime soaps suffered a blow this week as news spread that Doug Sheehan, best known for his stints on General Hospital and Knots Landing, passed away. While a cause of death was not released, a notice from the Kane Funeral home shared that the 75-year-old died with his wife by his side on June 29th.
While the handsome actor appeared on shows as diverse as Diagnosis Murder and Sabrina the Teenage Witch, it was his role as good-guy Joe Kelly on General Hospital which first brought him to the attention of many fans. Introduced in 1979, Joe was immediately caught up in a love triangle with roguish Jeff Webber and virginal Anne Logan. He’d later become involved with Bobbie Spencer. Fittingly, Joe was the stepson of Rose Kelly, the original owner of Kelly’s Diner, which would eventually come to be named Bobbie’s after her passing.
As for Joe, he left Port Charles upon receiving a job offer.
Less than a year after leaving General Hospital, Sheehan landed the role of reporter Ben Gibson on Knots Landing. Ben would soon be paired with lead heroine Valene Ewing, becoming the only man who ever stood a fighting chance of making her forget longtime love Gary Ewing. But in 1986, Ben went on assignment in South America and was later reported to be missing, believed dead.
Sheehan continued to act reguarly up until 2003, with his last known part being an appearance on the Jenny Garth-led sitcom What I Like About You. Soon after, he opted to leave the business, eventually settling in Big Horn, Wyoming, where he reportedly took to writing plays and running a theater company.
