Celebrity News September 18, 2023
Michelle Stafford Remembers ‘The Young and the Restless’ Co-Star Billy Miller (Exclusive)
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Beloved soap star Billy Miller, known for his roles on “The Young and the Restless” and “General Hospital” is being mourned by fans and colleagues after his tragic death at 43.
“Extra” spoke with Michelle Stafford, who worked with Billy on both shows.
Calling him an “extraordinary actor,” Michelle shared, “It was so great to be in scenes with [him], so creative and inventive as an actor, like a true talent. Not only that, so much charisma. The coupling of great talent and charisma is quite something.
“The way that daytime is, you’re going into someone’s house every day, right? Being appealing and being someone so watchable is an important thing. Billy was all that,” Michelle noted.
On Sunday, Michelle took to Instagram to pay tribute to Billy with a pic of him looking up at the sky with an Emmy in his hand.
Of her post, Michelle stressed, “I just wanted to celebrate his talent. I wanted to celebrate who he really was. He was just a very unique, lovely human being.”
When asked if she knew of Billy’s struggles with manic depression, Stafford answered, “I just knew Billy on an aesthetic level… What I knew of Billy is how much he loved his family... and how important his family was to him, and him being a Texas boy, that was very much a part of him.”
Michelle opened up about one of her fond memories of Billy. She recalled, “One time, I was having a hard time with this guy who was fixing my oven and he heard me on the phone and he said, ‘Here, give that to me.’ He grabbed it and said, ‘Hey, listen! I don’t like the way you’re talking to my wife.’ He just pretended like he was my husband. The guy immediately changed.”
She emphasized, “That’s what he did this with everyone. Everyone knows this about Billy. He took care of everyone… He wanted to. That made him happy.”
Michelle praised Billy for how “great” he was with kids. She explained, “All the kids on set, he would always play with them… He was just a big kid.”
Miller’s sudden death shocked the soap opera community.
Michelle commented on the closeness of the community, saying, “You are a family. Everybody still considers Billy a family member… He loved being on ‘Young and the Restless.’ He loved playing that role… He came in and really put his stamp on it. He was always working a lot because he was so interesting to watch.”
As for how she hopes people will remember Billy, Michelle said, “I hope he is remembered for the guy he really was… someone who loved his family, an extraordinary actor, and someone who really loved to love life.”
