Actor Wayne Northrop Dead At 77

Actor Wayne Northrop, best known for playing Roman Brady on the soap opera Days of Our Lives, died Friday (November 29) at the age of 77 at the Motion Picture and Television Woodand Hills Home, his representative said in a statement obtained by NBC News on Monday (December 2).

Northrop's wife, Lynn Herring Northrop, said her husband "was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's six years ago" in a statement obtained by NBC News.

“He took his last breath in the arms of his family,” she said.

“Wayne touched so many people with his sense of humor and wit. A husband for 43 years, the best dad ever to his two boys, Hank and Grady, and a rancher who loved his cows and was a friend to many,” she added.

Northrop made his first appearance on Days of Our Lives in 1981 and played the role of Roman Brady, a detective, until 1984, before reprising it again between 1991 and 1994. The actor also appeared in Dynasty as chauffeur Michael Culhane and Port Charles as Rex Stanton, which his wife starred in as Lucy Coe.

Northrop is also credited for appearances on The Waltons, Baretta and L.A. Law and ran a cattle ranch with his wife in Raymond, California, according to NBC News.