‘Days of Our Lives’ Star Denise DuBarry Dies at 63 After Battling Deadly Fungal Infection

‘Days of Our Lives’ Star Denise DuBarry Dies at 63 After Battling Deadly Fungal Infection
Actress and producer Denise DuBarry attends the 28th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival, Palm Springs, Calif., Jan. 4, 2017. (Vivien Killilea/Getty Images)

Actress, producer, and philanthropist Denise DuBarry Hay passed away over the weekend after battling an infection from a deadly fungus, according to a new report. She was 63.

DuBarry Hay died Saturday, March 23, at the UCLA Medical Center, her husband Bill Hay confirmed to the Desert Sun.

DuBarry Hay began her acting career in such TV 1970s series as “Black Sheep Squadron” and “CHiPs.” She also appeared in the 1979 Academy Award-winning film, “Being There.” Other notable appearances include TV programs such as “The Love Boat” and “Days of Our Lives.”

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Denise, You were a light in the lives of so many but a bright one in mine. You believed in us when many didn’t and had you not supported us, our careers and lives would be very different. I’m glad we got to share this moment in January and that I got to tell you this in person, not even knowing you would soon pass. Your call to Harold endorsing Green Book back in September eventually made another dream of mine come true at PSIFF. I will miss your spirit and your guidance. You taught me so much about work ethic and how to juggle the actor and producer hats. You changed my life and I will forever be grateful for you. Rest In Peace. @denisedubarry #DeniseDubarry #DeniseDubarryHay #ShootTheHero #DoItOrDie #blacksheepsquadron #BeingThere #RIP #InMemoriam #actress #Producer #SamanthaLockwood

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A resident of La Quinta, near Palm Springs, DuBarry Hay recently produced two films, “Do It or Die” (2017), and “Walk to Vegas,” (2019). Both films were screened at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.

However, DuBarry Hay was best known in the business world as the co-founder of one of the world’s leading global direct response companies, Thane International, which she launched in 1990 with her husband Bill Hay.

In 1998, she was named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, and in 2000 Response Magazine included her in its list of the “21 People Leading Us Into the 21st Century,” according to the Desert Sun.

She served as president of the Palm Springs Women in Film and Television, which she founded in 2001, to bring more production employment opportunities to the Coachella Valley. She also created the Broken Glass Awards, the organization’s annual fundraiser.

Harold Matzner, fellow philanthropist and marketing executive, credited DuBarry Hay with bringing Palm Springs Women in Film and Television “to life” during her term as president.

“I remember her for her unbridled enthusiasm about getting a local creative project out there regardless of who was involved in making it,” Matzner told the Desert Sun. “When I talked to her originally she was concerned that Women in Film was thought of as just a Los Angeles women’s organization and she worked it hard to differentiate Palm Springs in a really different way. She made a huge difference. She made a huge difference in everything she touched.”

DuBarry Hay also served as a philanthropist with the Olive Crest, a nonprofit that helps abused and at-risk children, reported the Desert Sun.

Film producer Kim Waltrip, who recruited DuBarry Hay to the Olive Crest, told the Desert Sun she was devastated when she heard of DuBarry Hay’s passing.

“I fell through the floor,” she said. “How is this possible?”

Waltrip also highlighted DuBarry Hay’s entrepreneurship.

“For me, she was like a very classy businesswoman. She was ahead of her time in terms of women supporting women. She always supported women. She was an entrepreneur and she was kind to everyone,” Waltrip said.

“She was super-ambitious and always supportive of everything everybody did. I got her involved in Olive Crest and she donated money for those houses (for the children). When Denise gets involved, she goes all-in and she hosted fundraisers at her house. She just made sure Olive Crest had everything it needed,” Waltrip added.

DuBarry Hay was also the owner of the Wildest Greens Organic Restaurant in Palm Desert, according to her Instagram account.

DuBarry Hay, a native of Texas, was previously married to “2001: A Space Odyssey” star Gary Lockwood from 1982 until 1988, according to The Hollywood Reporter. She is survived by her husband William Hay, whom she married in 1992, as well as her children—Adam, Whitney, Kyle, and Samatha.

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Mosaic Mondays ✨

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