‘Days Of Our Lives’ Reveals Fate of Victor Kiriakis After John Aniston’s Death

Martin Holmes August 17, 2023

John Aniston in 'Days of Our Lives' — Peacock

Veteran actor John Aniston, who played Victor Kiriakis on Days of Our Lives for more than 35 years, passed away in November 2022, and now the long-running soap has finally revealed his character’s fate.

Aniston’s last on-screen appearance came on December 26, 2022. Since then episodes revealed that Victor was on vacation in Greece (where Aniston was born), and last week, Victor’s nephew Justin Kiriakis (Wally Kurth) learned that his Uncle’s plane home had lost contact with air traffic control.

On Wednesday’s (August 16) episode John Black (Drake Hogestyn) reached out to his contacts at ISA for updates on his friend’s whereabouts and learned that the coast guard had recovered Victor’s body. John delivered the devastating news to Victor’s wife, Maggie Horton Kiriakis (Suzanne Rogers), who broke down in tears.

The episode ended with a close-up shot of a photograph of Victor, captioned with the words, “In loving memory of John Aniston.”

Upcoming episodes will see Victor’s friends and family dealing with the fallout of the tragic news, including a memorial service, which is set to air on August 28. Victor’s memorial will see the return of some of his former Days co-stars, including Jen Lilley, who will reprise her role as Theresa Donovan.

Soap Opera Digest first broke the news of Lilley’s return, with the actress herself confirming the report on Instagram on Tuesday, writing, “[Cat’s] out of the bag, and there’s so much behind the scenes y’all don’t know.”

Lilley also teased that other members of the Days family will be returning for Victor’s send-off, including Zach Tinker, who played Victor’s nephew Sonny Kiriakis. Tinker exited the soap back in February 2023.

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Aniston’s passing was announced last year by his daughter, Friends star Jennifer Aniston, who wrote at the time, “Sweet papa…⁣ John Anthony Aniston. You were one of the most beautiful humans I ever knew. I am so grateful that you went soaring into the heavens in peace — and without pain. And on 11/11 no less!”

Jennifer also accepted a Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award on her father’s behalf last year for his work on Days and other soaps such as Love of Life and Search For Tomorrow.

“This is truly a special moment for me,” the Morning Show star said. “It’s an opportunity to not only pay tribute to a true icon in the daytime television world, but it’s also a chance to recognize the lifelong achievements of a great and well-respected actor, who also happens to be my dad.”

Days of our Lives, Streaming, Peacock