The Young and the Restless will air a special episode honoring Jerry Douglas (John Abbott)

The Young and the Restless will air a special episode honoring Jerry Douglas (John Abbott)

The Young and the Restless will continue the celebration of its 50th anniversary with a special episode dedicated to John Abbott.

The Young and the Restless will continue the celebration of its landmark 50th anniversary with a special episode airing later this month. The episode will honor the legacy of Jerry Douglas, who played John Abbott for more than a quarter of a century.

As with any good soap tribute episode, there will be oodles of classic flashbacks that will take viewers on a walk down memory lane.

There will also be a very special guest: author and television star Kym Douglas, the wife of the late actor. Kym will play Zelda Wilford, a woman who shares a special connection to the Abbott family.

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Jerry Douglas joined the cast of The Young and the Restless in March 1982. Prior to making his first appearance on daytime television, Douglas appeared in numerous feature films, including Mommy Dearest and Good Guys Wear Black.

Douglas' time on Y&R ended in 2006 when the show made the controversial decision to kill off John Abbott. Douglas made a handful of appearances as John's ghost over the next decade.

Douglas passed away on November 9, 2021, after a brief illness. He was 88.

The special John Abbott tribute episode will air Thursday, June 22.

What are some of your favorite John Abbott memories? Are you happy that Y&R is dedicating an episode to the memory of Jerry Douglas? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.

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