PHOTOS'Days Of Our Lives' Actor Frank Parker Dies At Age 79
Sept. 26 2018, Published 1:02 p.m. ET
Soap opera star Frank Parker passed away on September 16 in Vacaville, California. The 79-year-old was best known in the entertainment industry as Grandpa Shawn Brady on Days of our Lives.
The actor died due to complications of Parkinson’s disease and dementia, according to his obituary on Legacy.com.“He could light up a room with his singing voice and was known to burst into song at any moment,” his family included. “He was a ham and loved the spotlight. Above all, he was the most supportive, generous, kind man and father. Frank loved his family.”
He leaves behind his second wife, Mary Jean Dunning Garofalo. The couple walked down the aisle in 2005 and built a life together in Vacaville up until his death.
Frank is also survived by Danielle Dallas and Lindsay Kyle, his twin daughters from his first marriage to Nola Donelle Rajcok. His first-born daughter, whom he will join now, Candace Donelle, died in 1998 from a car accident.
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Frank first started making a name for himself in the '60s and '70s, working in both film and TV. Including the well-known soap opera programs General Hospital and The Young and the Restless. Although, it wasn't until 1983 that he landed the role that would change his life forever, Shawn Brady on Days of Our Lives.
The father-of-three remained on the show for 25 years until he decided to retire in 2008 after his character died when he gave up his oxygen mask to save his son during an airplane hijacking. It was around this time that word started to get out that Frank's health was starting to decline, and he was forced to quit acting for good.
The show still aires nearly everyday on NBC since Novemeber 8, 1965 and is currently in their 54th season. Days is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world.
What will you miss most about Frank Parker? Let us know in the comments.
