Jason Donovan has paid a heartfelt tribute to his father, actor Terence Donovan, following his death.
Jason Donovan’s dad Terence has died
The Too Many Broken Hearts hitmaker took to Instagram on Sunday (19.07.26) to announce his dad – who was best known for playing Doug Willis in Neighbours, Al Simpson in Home and Away, Senior Detective Mick Peters in Division 4, and Detective Sgt. Vic Cameron in Cop Shop – had passed away the day before at the age of 90.
Despite their sadness at his passing, Jason and his brother Paul wanted to “celebrate” the “long, full life” their father had lived.
In a statement from himself and his brother, Jason shared: “It is with great sadness but also a sense of celebration of a long, full life that myself and my brother Paul announce our father Terence died peacefully last night here in Melbourne.
“Obviously this is an extremely emotional time and we ask you to respect our privacy.
“We want to pay tribute to all the wonderful staff at Cabrini Hospital, Melbourne who looked after him in his final days.”
The brothers were pleased they could be by the side of “larger than life” Terence in his dinal days.
They added: “Our dad was a huge character. Larger than life. He was our best friend… Our world. We will desperately miss him but we take comfort knowing we were all here by his side in his final days.
“Knowing that he lived life to the max. Knowing that in life it’s either a daring adventure… or nothing at all! How lucky are we to have a dad like you.”
Terence was born in London, England, in 1935 and moved ot Ausrtalia in the late 1950s, where he began his acting career.
His TV roles also included stints on other Australian staples, including The Flying Doctors and Sons and Daughters, and Terence had big screen success too, with roles in films including The Man from Snowy River and Breaker Morants.
As well as Neighbours, he also appeared with Jason in 2003 comedy film Horseplay and ABC drama MDA.
Terence’s final acting role came in 2022, when he reprised his role as Doug in Neighbours.
He was married to actress and presenter Sue McIntosh – the mother of Jason – from 1965 until 1972 and he found love again with second wife Marlene Saunders, who he wed in 1981 and went on to have Paul with the following year.
