Ben Masters, the soap opera star best known for playing Julian Crane on Passions, dies of Covid-19 at 75… after years-long battle with dementia
- Masters died January 11 in Palm Springs from Covid amid dementia struggle
- His biggest — and final — role was on the NBC soap opera Passions
- The series ran from 1999 until its 2008 cancellation
- Masters appeared on Broadway early in his career before moving to film and TV
Ben Masters, an actor who was most identified with his nearly decade-long run on the since-canceled soap opera Passions, is dead at age 75.
Masters died on Wednesday, January 11, at Palm Springs’ Eisenhower Medical Center, according to Deadline.
Masters’ stint on the TV series ended with its cancellation in 2008, and he never had another on-screen role.
In recent years he had reportedly battled dementia, and he ultimately died from Covid-19.
Retired star: Ben Masters, who starred on the soap opera Passions through from 1999–2008, died Wednesday at age 75 from Covid-19, after battling dementia for years; seen in 2003 in NYC
Masters starred as the wealthy Julian Crane on Passions.
The series premiered on NBC in the summer of 1999, and was canceled by the network in 2007, only to be picked up by DirectTV’s 101 Network for a final season.
The series has the distinction of being the most recently created American daytime soap opera, though several older series have continued to air new episodes well past its cancellation.
![Star turn: Masters starred as the wealthy Julian Crane on Passions. The series premiered on NBC in the summer of 1999, and was canceled by the network in 2007, only to be picked up by DirectTV's 101 Network for a final season; seen with Tracey Ross](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/01/11/21/66472347-11624847-image-a-10_1673471336343.jpg)
Star turn: Masters starred as the wealthy Julian Crane on Passions. The series premiered on NBC in the summer of 1999, and was canceled by the network in 2007, only to be picked up by DirectTV’s 101 Network for a final season; seen with Tracey Ross
Masters was born in 1947 in Corvallis, Oregon, and her pursued his passion for acting as a theater major at the University of Oregon.
He subsequently moved to New York City, where he began to make a name for himself with roles in high-profile roles both off and on Broadway.
He was featured in The Boys In The Band off Broadway, and he starred opposite screen legends Ingrid Bergman and Meryl Streep in George Bernard Shaw’s Captain Brassbound’s Conversion and Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, respectively.
![High profile: After studying at the University of Oregon, Masters moved to NYC and appeared on and off Broadway, including in productions with Ingrid Bergman and Meryl Streep](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/01/11/21/66471531-11624847-image-a-11_1673472513165.jpg)
High profile: After studying at the University of Oregon, Masters moved to NYC and appeared on and off Broadway, including in productions with Ingrid Bergman and Meryl Streep
Following TV roles on Kojak and Kolchak: The Night Stalker in the early 1970s, Masters made his feature debut in the 1975 film Mandingo.
He also appeared in the classic musical drama All That Jazz in 1979, but he had only a handful of other film roles in the 1980s and ’90s.
In 1988, he appeared in the Pierce Brosnan–starring miniseries Noble House, followed by the medical drama HeartBeat.
![TV star: In 1988, he appeared in the Pierce Brosnan–starring miniseries Noble House (pictured), followed by the medical drama HeartBeat](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/01/11/21/66472351-11624847-image-a-19_1673473196031.jpg)
TV star: In 1988, he appeared in the Pierce Brosnan–starring miniseries Noble House (pictured), followed by the medical drama HeartBeat
Other major shows he appeared on included Murder, She Wrote and Walker, Texas Ranger.
Masters is survived by sister Cheryl Lerner, along with his nieces Clea and Hannah Lerner.
He reportedly requested that no funeral or memorial be held for him.
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