Sadly, John Aylward died this Wednesday, May 18, at the age of 75.
The Death of the ER Doctor Plan Actor
“ I was shocked. He was a wonderful actor and a phenomenal human being, ” Aylward’s longtime agent Mitchell K. Stubbs said in a statement to Deadline. “Also, he was a dream customer, a friend as well as a dream person.” .
Aylward joined the cast of ER Medical Plant in the second episode of the third season, with his character Donald Anspaugh taking over as chief of staff to the newly merged County General.
The strict doctor, however, showed he had a softer side when he revealed that his son Scott had lymphoma. In this way, Scott bonded with Gloria Reuben’s Jeanie as she became his personal caretaker. Anspaugh stepped down as chief of staff in season four following Scott’s death but remained at the hospital as a surgeon and board member.
Aylward, therefore, appeared sporadically thereafter as Anspaugh, until the 15th and final season of ER Medical Plant, being one of the only characters to stay for nearly every season.
His ER colleague Noah Wyle commented on a fan page’s Instagram post about Aylward’s death: “Very sad news. John was an amazing actor, a gentleman as well as a wonderful friend. He will be missed.”. (via TVLine )
John Aylward’s Career
Starting with a few episodes of Northern Exposure, Aylward has been a familiar face to TV fans for the past three decades. He had a recurring role on the final season of NBC’s The West Wing as former DNC president and transition chief Barry Goodwin. His other TV roles include Mad Men, Alias, Brothers & Sisters, The Practice, and Yellowstone. His most recent credit was in the quirky US crime drama Briarpatch, which aired in 2020.
Our condolences to the fans of ER Doctor Plan and the actor.
Cause Of Death:
No cause of death has been published in the media, and neither has any family member spoken to the press regarding John Aylward’s cause of death.
Amelia Warner
Amelia Warner writes all the Latest Articles. She mostly covers Entertainment topics, but at times loves to write about movie reviews as well.
