John Reilly, General Hospital and Iron Man Cartoon Actor, Dies at 84

John Reilly, a prolific actor whose career includes a long tenure on General Hospital, as well as a major role in the Iron Man animated series, has passed away at the age of 84. The news was confirmed by Reilly’s daughter, Caitlin, who shared the news on Instagram. No cause of death has been revealed at this time. Caitlin’s post reads that “the brightest light in the world has gone out”, calls Reilly “the best person in the world”, and says she’s “so grateful that [she] made it in time to hold him and say goodbye.”

Born on November 11, 1936, in Chicago, Illinois, Reilly began acting in the mid-1960s. with roles on Gunsmoke and Death Valley Days. His first major soap opera role came in 1974, when he replaced John Colenback as Dr. Dan Stewart on As the World Turns, a role he went on to play for two and a half years.

His career then included two guest appearances on The Bionic Woman, and went on to have a recurring role on Dallas. In 1984, Reilly was cast as Sean Donely, a WSB agent, on General Hospital. He went on to stay on the series for a full decade, ultimately choosing not to renew his contract in 1994. His character was written out of the show in February 1995, but appeared decades later in cameo appearances in 2008 on General Hospital: Night Shift, as well as in 2013 on General Hospital‘s 50th anniversary season.

Following General Hospital, Reilly took over the role of Alistair Crane on the soap opera Passions, and appeared on the role in some capacity before his character was killed off in 2008.

Reilly portrayed Steve on an episode of the 1980s The Incredible Hulk series, and voiced Clint Barton/Hawkeye in the 1990s Iron Man animated series. He also appeared as Baron Reyland on the TV series Mortal Kombat: Conquest.

Our thoughts are with Reilly’s family, friends, and fans at this time.