Jason Donovan’s father, Terence, has died aged 90 (Picture: Instagram/Jason Donovan)
Jason Donovan has announced that his dad, Terence, who starred alongside him in Neighbours, has died.
The Australian soap icon, 58, shared today that his father, 90, died ‘peacefully’ in Melbourne on Saturday.
‘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,’ his statement began.
‘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.’
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Jason described his dad as a ‘huge character’, his ‘best friend’, and his ‘world’.
Jason and brother Paul described Terence as their ‘best friend’ (Picture: Instagram/Jason Donovan)
Terence was also a proud grandfather to Jemma Donovan, Jason’s 26-year-old actress daughter (Picture: Sam Tabone/Getty Images)
‘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,’ he concluded.
Born in London, Terence moved to Australia with his parents when he was 14, where he pursued acting after first working as a truck driver and a house painter.
In 1965, he tied the knot with TV presenter Sue McIntosh, and they welcomed son Jason three years later. The couple divorced after seven years of marriage, and Terence married second wife Marlene Saunders in 1981.
The veteran actor had high-profile roles in Aussie police dramas in the 70s and 80s, playing Detective Mick Peters in Division 4 and Detective Senior Sergeant Vic Cameron in Cop Shop.
Terence played Doug Willis in Neighbours (Picture: Fremantle Media/Shutterstock)
The Willis family initially appeared from 1990 to 1994 (Picture: Fremantle Media/Shutterstock)
In 1990, he had a six-week guest role in Home and Away as the second actor to play Al Simpson, succeeding George Leppard.
That same year, he would join Neighbours as Doug Willis, with his on-screen family written out in 1994. Terence reprised the role in 2016, culminating in his character’s death, which he later said was not the way he wanted Doug to leave.
Finally, in 2022, Terence made another cameo alongside Jason in the then-finale of Neighbours, also appearing with granddaughter Jemma Donovan, 26, who played Harlow Robinson between 2019 and 2022. She previously said dad Jason was emotional when she landed the part, keeping the programme in the family.
Jason, of course, famously played Scott Robinson in the soap opera before his music career took off. He appeared from 1986 to 1989, during which time he was one half of the supercouple Scott and Charlene, along with Kylie Minogue.
As for the rest of Terence’s career, he had roles on Prisoner, Sons and Daughters, A Country Practice, and The Flying Doctors.
Film-wise, he appeared in Breaker Morant (1980) and The Man from Snowy River (1982).
‘How lucky are we to have a dad like you’ (Picture: Instagram/Jason Donovan)
Following the announcement of his death, tributes flooded Jason’s Instagram comments section for Terence.
Jason praised his dad’s impact on the industry and how he pushed for Australian stories to be told with his campaign work.
‘The result of that campaign was an obligation on commercial television broadcasters to broadcast Australian stories,’ the singer wrote.
‘Without people like my Dad we might not have seen the growth in the industry during the 70s and 80s and indirectly, Australian films such as The Man From Snowy River, Breaker Morant, Picnic at Hanging Rock, Priscilla, Muriel’s Wedding, Crocodile Dundee [and] Strictly Ballroom.’
Dannii Minogue then wrote: ‘I am so sorry you have lost your father. I love to hear about his achievements – this one here is incredible and it is lovely to how proud you are.’
Gaby Roslin added: ‘I am so sorry Jason for your loss. Sending you and your family my deepest sympathies and love and strength and he’ll always be on your heart ❤️’
Fans also declared Terence a ‘legend’ and ‘a trailblazer for Australian TV’.
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