Joseph Mascolo, 'Days of our Lives' villain Stefano, dies at 87

LOS ANGELES – Joseph Mascolo, who played a longtime villain on “Days of our Lives,” died Thursday. He was 87.

Mascolo played the dastardly Stefano DiMera on the NBC soap opera off and on from 1982 to 2001. He then moved to the CBS soap opera “The Bold and the Beautiful,” and spent five years playing Massimo Marone. He returned to “Days” to take on the DiMera role again in 2006.

Soap Opera Digest reported that Mascolo had suffered from Alzheimer’s disease for many years.

Mascolo is survived by his wife, his son, his step-daughter and sister, according to Soap Opera Digest.