Days Of Our Lives Actors You Didn't Know Died

For more than three decades, Joseph Mascolo played Stefano DiMera, the fearsome patriarch of the evil DiMera crime family that seems to be involved in every bad thing that happens in Salem. Stefano was the puppet master who pulled the strings of countless cataclysmic events. He "died" and came back to life numerous times on "Days of Our Lives," nicknamed "the Phoenix" because of how often he rose again. Per SoapHub, Stefano was drowned twice, burned alive twice, shot on multiple occasions, and even survived two separate brain tumors that were said to be inoperable.

The actor left the show for good in 2016, when Stefano was shot by Hope Brady (Kristian Alfonso). Mascolo revealed to Soap Opera Digest that the character's death would be final this time, and that he would not be returning due to health reasons. "Last spring, I had a small stroke," he explained, "and during my rehab, I thought this would be a good time for Stefano to leave."

Mascolo himself, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, died that same year at age 87, and his longtime cast members had nothing but wonderful things to share about the actor. Arianne Zucker, who'd played Nicole (Stefano's erstwhile daughter-in-law) since 1998, tweeted in part, "He was an incredible mentor. ... I will miss how he made me laugh." Galen Gering (aka Rafe), remembered, "He was just the biggest, coolest, lovable teddy bear." Meanwhile, Jen Lilley, who played Theresa Donovan, shared poetically on Twitter, "His Phoenix finally took flight."