French passed away on Feb. 7 at the age of 79 due to complications with Alzheimer’s disease, with which he was diagnosed four years prior, his wife of 34 years, longtime Days of Our Lives actress Eileen Barnett, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Born in Iowa on July 4, 1945, as the son of a funeral director, French went on to graduate from the University of Iowa, where he first met his bride-to-be, before serving in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War.
