Taken from soapoperadigest.com:

James E. Reilly Dead at 60
Legendary head writer James E. Reilly (DAYS OF OUR LIVES, PASSIONS) passed away over the weekend. He was 60. Jonathan Russo, Reilly's agent and friend for over 25 years, says Reilly had been recovering from cardiac surgery when he died suddenly in the hospital. His beloved sister Cathy Robinson was by his side. "James Reilly was one of the most profoundly lovely human beings in our industry. He was a towering person in our industry who had a tremendous faith in God and Catholicism, as anyone who watched PASSIONS knows. Everyone will miss him," adds Russo. There are no funeral plans. There may be a memorial service at a later date.



Wow.. this was sudden. Wasn't DAYS considering brining him back?

Very sad.

Sad news. I was a fan of (his)DOOL and Passions.

What ever ppl said about him (me included), James did bring something new to the genre that will always be remembered.

RIP James.

I'd said a lot about him in the last few days, but this really is a huge loss. James was so influential in the soap genre and really did some great things at DAYS and Passions. He'll be greatly missed.

Truly a shock! My heart goes out to his family/friends!

Despite some of the negative things on PASSIONS/DAYS that I did not enjoy, for the most part, he has left an undeniable mark on daytime drama, especially DAYS OF OUR LIVES.

His great DAYS stories of the 1990's were some of the best work of that decade and his multiple emmy-nominations were proof of that.

RIP JER!

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I was not usually a fan of his, but his death is a tragic loss to daytime. RIP.

So sad...what a loss of a true daytime pioneer.

My sympathy to his family and friends.

Heaven will now have a true storyteller in its midst.

RIP Jim.

Very Sad.

I was never a Days fan till his stuff started airing in the 90's. It was the soap everyone was talking about on campus. I also really enjoyed Passions the first few years it was on. Like I suspected the joke got old but I was entertained nonetheless.

He was definitely controversial in many ways for his approach to the genre. But it does take talent to do what he did and he was talented.

Condolences to the Reilly family.

Stunned. I criticized JER for a lot of his storytelling, but I always gave him credit for making Days of Our Lives MUST SEE t.v. in the mid 1990s.

Can't say I'm surprised. You can't be that BIG, have a sedentary job and be healthy. I know it's impolitic think that, but every time I saw Reilly or Hogan Sheffer, I just thought heart attack. I think the same thing when I see Jordan Clarke or British comedienne Dawn French.

Reilly did some great stuff on DOOL and GL. His work on Passions was disappointing, but he was also responsible for one of the few integrated soaps and for dealing with sexuality. Chad was on the downlow AND having sex long before Luke and Noah had their first kiss. He could have been a valuable asset to a show. It's a real shame.

this is truly devastating news. prayers are out to family and friends. three people in two weeks have passed.

It just breaks my heart to even open this thread.

RIP Mr. Reilly, and my condolences goes out to his many loved ones.

This is truly a sad time for daytime. James E Reilly IMO was a genius. He was such a legend but in a different way Nixon/Bell were. Reilly was a master of this genre. First of all going back to the GL of early 90's where everyone gives Nancy Curlee credit, I actually rewatched some of those old stuff on youtube and WOW all those stories had Reilly themes in them. Reilly was a major part of that success. Nothing IMO made him the legend he was with his legendary DAYS stint from 1992-1997 which he took from the bottom of the ratings cellar. The show was almost in dire restraints.

Reilly took it over and slowly made it an addicting, ridiculous, outlandous and fun mess. He is the only head writer who could raise ratings through the freaking roof. I loved Marlena's possession, Sami's comeuppance twice, the underground city of Paris storyline and and my favorite Kristen/Susan. Kristen/Susan was Eileen Davidson's career high. The ratings hit a 7.0 in August of that year with the Kristen reveal. It was thrilling TV and almost overtook Y&R. Reilly left DAYS in 1997 when the show was at a ratings high. Corday never appreciated Reilly. He freaking saved his show. Reilly made NBC and Ken Corday a fortune. The high ratings kept AW on the air longer, Sunset Beach was developed and Passions.

Now onto Passions, the first two years it was so fun. I loved Timmy and Tabby. Josh Ryan Evans was a marvel and IMO I think Timmy was James E Reilly. The first couple years Passions did quite well in numbers for a new show. Reilly returned to DAYS in 2003 and the show was in the mid 2's, the Salem Stalker idea brought the ratings through the roof. The day Marlena was revealed to be the stalker the show hit a 4.2 on that one day. It was the magic of James Reilly. His second run IMO was not as good as the first. I am so glad Reilly finished Passions because no writer could ahve written that show.

Reilly left us too young, he had more to give daytime. The man was a recluse and only ever wanted to know the actors by their characters. In retrospect he was one of the greatest head writers in daytime history amassing so much success and he will be missed. Also no matter what every head writer at one point has tried to copy James Reilly, nobody ever could. There will only be one James E Reilly. God bless you James and may you rest in peace.

wow. this is a huge loss for daytime. my prayers and thoughts go out to his friends and family.

Even though he got a bit lost the last few years in terms of his storytelling his talent is undeniable.