Longtime 'The Young and the Restless' Star Jerry Douglas Dies at 88

Jerry Douglas, familiar to soap fans as John Abbott on "The Young and the Restless," died Tuesday after a brief illness. He was three days shy of 89.

The official account for "The Young and the Restless" announced his passing on Twitter, writing, "Please join us in sending our condolences to the family of Jerry Douglas, known for his long-running role as the iconic John Abbott on the The Young and the Restless. He will be greatly missed by the Y&R family."

Douglas had played the character from March 1982 until Abbott was killed off in 2006, though he later made appearances as his character's ghost and as an imposter through 2016.

Born Gerald Rubinstein on November 12, 1932, in Chelsea, Massachusetts, Douglas studied acting with the legendary Uta Hagen. He made his film debut as a gangster in "Blast of Silence" (1961) and his TV debut the following year. He went on to appear on such shows as "The Untouchables" (1963), "The Donna Reed Show" (1963), "The Outer Limits" (1963), "Gunsmoke" (1965), "Ironside" (1970), and "Mission: Impossible" (1970 & 1972).

He worked in film occasionally, including small parts in the camp Joan Crawford biopic "Mommie Dearest" (1981), the Michael Crichton thriller "Looker" (1981), Oliver Stone's "JFK" (1991), and his last movie, the broad comedy "Silent but Deadly" (2012).

Douglas also worked as a screenwriter and playwright, and released the album "The Best Is Yet to Come" in 2007.