‘General Hospital’ Star Doug Sheehan Dead at 75
Television star, Doug Sheehan has passed away at the age of 75. Sheehan rose to prominence in the early 80s as a series regular in General Hospital, where he played Joe Kelly, a dashing lawyer who was romantically involved with Heather Webber and Bobbie Spencer, characters played by Georganne LaPiere and Jacklyn Zeman respectively. His character appeared in over two hundred episodes of the ABC soap opera from 1979 to 1982, with his performance earning him a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role in a Daytime Drama Series. Sheehan’s cause of death has not been disclosed.
Sheehan’s death was made public via an announcement by Kane Funeral Home – a Wyoming-based funeral home entrusted with arranging a memorial service in his honor. The official obituary announcement reveals that the actor “passed away peacefully at his home on Saturday morning, June 29, 2024, with his loving wife at his side.” Sheehan married his wife, Cate Abert in 1981 and remained married until his passing.
Following his breakthrough on General Hospital, Sheehan scored his next major role as Ben Gibson in Season 5 of the CBS soap Knots Landing, a spin-off of Dallas. Knots Landing ran for 14 seasons and centered on the lives of four married couples living in a fictitious Los Angeles suburb following their struggles with daily life. On the show, Sheehan’s Ben Gibson is a journalist who moves into town and becomes romantically linked with Valene. He becomes Val’s second husband, but their marriage is only short-lived as Val eventually makes up with her ex-husband, Gary Ewing. After 115 episodes, Sheehan’s character was written off as he was moved to South America to begin life anew.
Doug Sheehan Also Appeared In Popular SitcomsAfter a couple of TV film appearances, Doug Sheehan appeared in the NBC sitcom, Day by Day, playing the family patriarch Brian Harper. Brian is a successful stockbroker who quits his job to start a daycare center to afford him more time to spend with his family, particularly his daughter Emily. Throughout the 90s, Sheehan appeared in other sitcoms and TV shows, notably the ABC sitcom Clueless and Dear John, In the latter, he played Mel Horowitz from Season 2 replacing Michael Lerner who played the character in Season 1. Throughout his career, Sheehan appeared in four television films, including the crime film, In the Line of Duty: The F.B.I. Murders and the holiday comedy movie, A Mom for Christmas that co-starred Olivia Newton-John.
Sheehan’s most recent appearances came in two episodes of Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Diagnosis: Murder. His final acting role came in the 2003 episode of the sitcom, What I Like About You. Sheehan would then retire from acting and relocate to Big Horn, Wyoming, where he focused on writing and directing stage plays while running a theater company.
