DYNASTY – Wayne Northrop and Karen Cellini Gallery August 19, 1986. (Photo by ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images) WAYNE NORTHROP
“Days of Our Lives” star Wayne Northrop has died at the age of 77.
His representative, Cynthia Snyder, confirmed the news to Fox News Digital with a statement from his family.
“Wayne was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s 6 years ago. He took his last breath in the arms of his family,” the statement from his wife, Lynn Herring Northrop said, nothing that he passed on November 29.
She continued, “We wish to thank the most caring and amazing place, The Motion Picture and Television Home for taking such great care of him. Wayne touched so many people with his sense of humor and wit. A husband for 43 years, the best dad ever to his two boys, Hank and Grady, and a rancher who loved his cows and was a friend to many.”
Northrop played Roman Brady on “Days of Our Lives” in two three-year stints, from 1981 to 1984 and again in 1991 through 1994, married to Dr. Marlena Evans, played by Deidra Hall. He later appeared as a different character on the show in 2005, as Dr. Alex North, adding up to 1,000 appearances during his time on the show.
He also starred in “Port Charles” on ABC, and made several appearances on “Dynasty.”
Earlier in his career, he made guest appearances on shows like “The Waltons,” “Baretta,” and “Eight is Enough.”
Northrop was born April 12, 1947, in Sumner, Washington, to Robert and Donna Jean Northrop.
He graduated with a BA in communications from the University of Washington. He then traveled through Europe, where he became fluent in German. He returned to the U.S. and enrolled in an acting class at Seattle Community College.
Following positive reviews from his work in class, he moved to Hollywood and joined the newly formed Los Angeles Actors’ Theatre headed by Ralph Waite in 1975, landing his first role a short while later in “Police Story.”
Northrop and his wife, fellow actress and “General Hospital” star Lynn Herring married in 1981 and shared two sons, Hank and Grady.
For the past 35 years, Northrop and Lynn owned and operated a cattle ranch in Raymond, California, with a focus on staying “true” to his environmental beliefs and wildlife and conservation causes. They also purchased the oldest house in the city and converted it into a local museum for tourists, earning it a place on the registry of historical places.
The actor is survived by his wife, sons and stepmother, Janet Northrop.
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