DAYS exec reveals why Bo had to die

Days of our Lives' executive producer, Ken Corday, gets candid about the behind-the-scenes decision to end of the life of Peter Reckell's iconic character, Bo Brady.

Days of our Lives fans were taken through the wringer this month when beloved character Bo Brady unexpectedly died in Hope's arms. Peter Reckell had just returned to the role he originated in 1983, so it took many viewers by surprise to see his alter ego written off in such a tragic way. But the NBC soap's executive producer, Ken Corday, reveals it was the plan all along.

"After discussions with Peter, we knew [his return] was only going to be for a very limited time," Corday told Soap Opera Digest. "Thus, the decision was made amongst all of us that it was best to bring Bo and Hope's [Kristian Alfonso] relationship to closure. It wasn't done cavalierly like, 'Oh, let's kill Bo.' But, Peter was being straightforward that he wasn't going to return to the show any time soon, so we made the decision to really kill the character."

The exec goes on to urge fans to understand the show's tough decision. "If viewers are upset, I ask them to understand the outside factors that weigh here," he says. "I would love to have Peter on the show for years to come, but that's not going to happen. [And] we're not going to recast. So, it was clear what our route was. We need Hope to move on. And we can't do that with Bo still alive. It's impossible."

As fans may recall, Reckell opened up about why he didn't argue about killing his longtime alter ego. "What's keeping me from saying, 'Killing Bo? That's not a good idea,' is... what I discovered over the past three years, and that is being a dad... and the important role I have in my daughter's life," he explained. "As important and as wonderful and inspirational as being Bo Brady is, this job of being [eight-year-old] Loden's dad is more important to me at this time."

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For more behind-the-scene info on Reckell's emotional exit storyline, check out the latest issue of Soap Opera Digest.

Do you think DAYS made the right decision in killing off Bo? In your opinion, would it have been better to recast the character? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.

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