Days of Our Lives star John Clarke dies ‘peacefully’ aged 88 of pneumonia
- Played Mickey Horton for 39 years, from the start of long-running soap opera
- Was awarded the lifetime achievement Emmy in 2004 when he retired
- The OC actress daughter Melinda Clarke paid tribute to her father
Days of Our Lives star John Clarke has died. He was 88.
The actor passed away ‘peacefully’ of pneumonia at his home in Laguna Beach, California his daughter, The OC actress Melinda Clarke, told Entertainment Weekly.
Clarke was one of the original cast of the long-running daytime soap opera Days Of Our Lives. He was a cast member for the show’s debut in 1965 and remained on screen playing Mickey Horton for 39 years, retiring in 2004.
Days of Our Lives star John Clarke has died ‘peacefully’ aged 88 of pneumonia; he is pictured here in 2004
Born in South Bend, Indiana, Clarke’s father was in the military and the family moved multiple times, with the future actor attending Staunton Military Academy in Virginia for a time before graduating from high school in Tokyo.
Clarke followed in his father’s footsteps and served as a sergeant in the Air Force during the Korean War. He was a member of the Air Force Varsitones, travelling across the United States to entertain troops.
A theater graduate of UCLA, Clarke was a regular on stage and also appeared in TV shows The Twilight Zone, Dr Quinn Medicine Woman and Maverick, among others.
Early career: Alongside Ida Lupino in 1959 movie The Twilight Zone
Long-running role: Clarke as Days Of Our Lives’ Mickey Horton in 1972; he was a cast member for the show’s debut in 1965 and remained on screen for 39 years, retiring in 2004
Entertainer: Clarke as Horton alongside Susan Flannery as onscreen wife Laura Horton in 1967
He had roles on the big screen in movies such as Judgement At Nuremberg, It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad World, Man Missing and The Satan Bug.
In 2004 Clarke was awarded the Daytime Emmys Lifetime Achievement Award, in recognition of his role. In 1979, he had won an Emmy nomination for Best Daytime Actor.
The veteran star suffered a stroke in 2007 and his health had since deteriorated.
Melinda, a trained opera singer, told EW she sang Ave Maria to her father as he passed away.
‘Above all, family life was always most important to John and his wife Patty,’ Clarke’s obituary states. ‘John’s greater-than-life personality will leave a lasting impression on all his family and friends who love him.’
Along with Melinda, Clarke is survived by his wife Patty and son Joshua, along with three grandchildren. He was predeceased by his daughter Heidi, who died from a heart tumor in 1994.
Family: With his daughter The OC actress Melinda Clarke, in 2004
