One half of the first supercouple in daytime was killed on As the World Turns, another daytime supercouple had their fifth wedding interrupted — John and Marlena — by Sami Brady on Days of Our Lives and other memorable moments that happened on August 23.
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Photo credit: CBS
In 1962, As The World Turns’s Jeff Baker (Mark Rydell) died following a car accident, widowing Penny Hughes Baker (Rosemary Prinz). The character's demise, scripted because Rydell was eager to pursue outside career opportunities (he went on to become a successful director, earning an Academy Award nomination for Outstanding Director for On Golden Pond), set off a firestorm of fan outcry, leading TV Guide to refer to Jeff's death as "the automobile accident that shook the nation."
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Photo credit: JPI
In 1999, Kelli McCarty made her Passions debut as Beth Wallace. She remained with the show until 2006, when she perished in a train explosion in Rome. The character was the high school sweetheart of Galen Gering's Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald and schemed to split up his relationship with Sheridan Crane. Among other devious maneuvers, she tried to kill Sheridan and stole her newborn son.
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Photo credit: JPI
In 2010, Days of Our Lives's Rafe Hernandez (Galen Gering) interrupted Sami Brady (Alison Sweeney) and EJ DiMera's (James Scott) wedding to bust EJ for orchestrating Sydney’s kidnapping. He arrived just as a judge was about to declare them husband and wife.
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Photo credit: JPI
In 2017, Carly Corinthos (Laura Wright, l.) was shocked when Sam McCall (Kelly Monaco) confessed to Sonny Corinthos’s shooting on General Hospital. Sam had shot Sonny while suffering from hallucinations brought on by Toxoplasmosis, which she contracted after being kidnapped by Olivia Jerome and giving birth to her daughter, Emily "Scout" Cain, on a snowy ravine after being tossed by Olivia over the side of the footbridge.
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Photo credit: JPI
In 2018, John (Drake Hogestyn) and Marlena’s (Deidre Hall) fifth Days of Our Lives wedding, which was being presided over by the couple's dear friend, Abe Carver (James Reynolds), was interrupted by Sami — and by a bullet striking the bride. But before things went so horribly awry, the duo exchanged heartfelt vows, with Marlena telling her groom, "You are my life. You are my love. You are my commandant." She added, "I vow to you today to be with you on this crazy adventure called love, for every day until I die." John told Marlena, "It just hit me again how lucky I am to have you in my life. It’s taken us too long to get back here and that’s been bothering me. I hope you know that you’re always on my mind and my heart is always here with you. No matter how far away I am, the place I want to be is right here by your side."
In 1962, As The World Turns’s Jeff Baker (Mark Rydell) died following a car accident, widowing Penny Hughes Baker (Rosemary Prinz). The character's demise, scripted because Rydell was eager to pursue outside career opportunities (he went on to become a successful director, earning an Academy Award nomination for Outstanding Director for On Golden Pond), set off a firestorm of fan outcry, leading TV Guide to refer to Jeff's death as "the automobile accident that shook the nation."
In 1999, Kelli McCarty made her Passions debut as Beth Wallace. She remained with the show until 2006, when she perished in a train explosion in Rome. The character was the high school sweetheart of Galen Gering's Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald and schemed to split up his relationship with Sheridan Crane. Among other devious maneuvers, she tried to kill Sheridan and stole her newborn son.
In 2010, Days of Our Lives's Rafe Hernandez (Galen Gering) interrupted Sami Brady (Alison Sweeney) and EJ DiMera's (James Scott) wedding to bust EJ for orchestrating Sydney’s kidnapping. He arrived just as a judge was about to declare them husband and wife.
In 2017, Carly Corinthos (Laura Wright, l.) was shocked when Sam McCall (Kelly Monaco) confessed to Sonny Corinthos’s shooting on General Hospital. Sam had shot Sonny while suffering from hallucinations brought on by Toxoplasmosis, which she contracted after being kidnapped by Olivia Jerome and giving birth to her daughter, Emily "Scout" Cain, on a snowy ravine after being tossed by Olivia over the side of the footbridge.
In 2018, John (Drake Hogestyn) and Marlena’s (Deidre Hall) fifth Days of Our Lives wedding, which was being presided over by the couple's dear friend, Abe Carver (James Reynolds), was interrupted by Sami — and by a bullet striking the bride. But before things went so horribly awry, the duo exchanged heartfelt vows, with Marlena telling her groom, "You are my life. You are my love. You are my commandant." She added, "I vow to you today to be with you on this crazy adventure called love, for every day until I die." John told Marlena, "It just hit me again how lucky I am to have you in my life. It’s taken us too long to get back here and that’s been bothering me. I hope you know that you’re always on my mind and my heart is always here with you. No matter how far away I am, the place I want to be is right here by your side."
