Hard as it is to believe, it’s been well over two years since one of daytime’s brightest lights was forever extinguished. Bill Hayes — who’d played Days of Our Lives‘ iconic Doug since 1970 — was known for his vivacious spirt and loving personality. And so we thought it only appropriate that on what would have been his 100threlated birthday, we take a moment to reflect on what made the much-loved actor so very special.

“He is just warm and wonderful,” executive producer told us when singing Hayes’ praises to us several years ago. “He pops onto the set and is just affable and friendly and has that same great rhythm and tone we’ve all come to know and love. The man you see on screen is very much the man Bill is off screen.”

Shortly after his passing, widow Susan Seaforth Hayes — who’s Julie loved his Doug with a passion as fierce as that of their portrayers — was touched by the outpouring of love from around the world. “You touched my heart by seeing in him the goodness and joy I experienced every moment of our wonderful marriage,” she said in response. “May we all embrace life with the gusto of Bill Hayes and enrich it with grace and love.”

Further proof of his loving spirit and good-natured soul came in a tribute from Mary Beth Evans (Kayla), who declared him to be “the sweetest, happiest man around, who always came to set singing a song.”

As for the secret to Hayes’ longevity? Corday believed that it boiled down to three things. “His faith is very, very deep. His love for his wife is very, very great. And he is an eternal optimist.”

In short, Hayes was “one of the good guys.”

And while traits like loyalty, faith and love might be easy for the rest of us to emulate, Corday added one final quality to the list that might not prove quite as simple to master: “He’s also a hell of a good tap dancer!”