Ben Masters has passed away from Covid-19 after a lengthy battle with dementia.

The 75-year-old actor died at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California, on Wednesday, Deadline confirmed.

He was best known for his role as Julian Crane in the NBC soap opera Passions which aired in 1999 and ran for a total of nine seasons and 2,231 episodes.

Following the TV show’s cancellation in 2008, Masters never again appeared on screen in another role.

The actor kicked off his acting career in the early 1970s following roles in Kolchak and Kojak and his feature debut in the movie Mandingo.

Besides his long-lasting role in the NBC soap opera, Masters made a series of smaller appearances in TV series like Pensacola: Wings of Gold, Sweet Justice, Diagnosis Murder, Profit, Spy Game, Touched by an Angel, Sisters, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, and Walker, Texas Ranger.

Following his passing, social media was flooded with tributes from co-stars and fans who enjoyed watching Masters as Julian Crane in NBC’s Passions.

“Passions was a wild series. The only way I could describe it is that it’s like Susan Harris’s awesomely-controversial sitcom Soap was played straight (and both totally went off the rails in their final seasons), and Ben Masters’ Julian Crane was a big part of that,” one social media user wrote.

“RIP to the amazingly talented #BenMasters. I grew up liking Julian Crane (but not in the beginning tho) My fellow #Passions fans and friends are devastated,” another said.

A third expressed: “Heart-breaking news. I’m so sorry for your loss. He was an amazing actor. Loved him on Passions. RIP Ben Masters.”

Our thoughts are with Ben’s family including sister Cheryl Lerner and nieces Hannah and Clea Lerner during this challenging time.

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