Soap legend Mark Dobies, who appeared in Guiding Light and One Life to Live, has died at the age of 65

The Locher Room, a YouTube show announced the death of soap legend Mark Dobies on Facebook and wrote: “I hate to be sharing this really sad and unexpected news, Mark Dobies passed away on March 11th at 65-far, far too young.

“Mark was a talented actor with a career that spanned film, television and theatre. Soap fans will remember him as Dr. Noah Chase on Guiding LIght and Daniel Colson on One Life to Live. He also took to the stage in the 2004 Off-Broadway revival of Larry Kramer’s The Normal Heart, playing Bruce Niles alongside Richard Bekins, Raul Esparaza and Billy Warlock.

“I was lucky to work with Mark at Guiding Light and always knew him as a genuinely good guy. I also feel very lucky that I got to see his performance in The Normal Heart.

“I’ll never forget this small-world connection. When I started dating my now-husband Ray and we were going to meet his parents for the first time, their street name sounded so familiar to me. It turned out Mark and his family lived just down the road. His children and ex-wife Linda, are still our neighbors today.

“Please keep his family in your thoughts during this difficult time. Rest in peace, Mark. You will be missed!”

Following the tribute by The Locher Room, fans have shared their own thoughts on the passing of Mark Dobies. One fan wrote: “That is sad, I’ve worried about him since he had Covid,” whilst another wrote: “I remember him from OLTL. I never saw the normal heart live, I watched it on HBO. He was a very good actor. I remember that storyline, he killed Lindsay’s daughter. He was leading a double life.”

An online obituary for soap star Mark Dobies described him as “a loving father, accomplished athlete, and talented actor, Mark lived a life full of passion, perseverance, and love.” Mark Dobies was born on April 3, 1959 and won a football scholarship to the then Delaware Valley College, which is now known as Delaware Valley University.

Mark is survived by his three children, Francesca, 27, Olivia, 24 and Robert, 21, his mum Suzanne, his brother Paul and sister Sandy. Mark Dobies also appeared in Home Improvement, Everybody Loves Raymond and Gossip Girl.

In ABC’s One Life to Live, he played the role of Daniel Colson. TV Line reported that his character “married Hilary B. Smith’s Nora Buchanan, only for her to learn he was a cheater — and a murderer. He killed Paul Cramer after Cramer threatened to reveal Daniel was having an affair with a man.

“The portrayal of a murderous gay man led to a protest from GLAAD, who felt the storyline reinforced negative stereotypes about the LGBTQ community. But executive producer Frank Valentini stood behind the story, insisting that “this is a story about the harsher side of intolerance and about one man not being true to himself.”