A popular Australian actor and singer has announced the sad passing of his soap star father at the age of 90.
Jason Donovan, 58, achieved fame in the 1980s in the Australian soap opera “Neighbours,” playing Scott Robinson (who famously married Kylie Minogue’s Charlene Mitchell). He then embarked on a career in music and scored hits with songs like 1988’s “Especially for You” (with Kylie Minogue) and 1989’s “Too Many Broken Hearts.”
He went on to star as Joseph in Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s hit musical “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” in the early 1990s.
The star was following in the showbusiness footsteps of his father, Terence Donovan. Terence was born on October 28, 1935, in London, England. He moved to Australia in 1951 and began acting in the early 1960s. According to a story on his son Jason’s Instagram account, he passed away peacefully in Melbourne, Australia, on Saturday, July 18. No cause of death was given.
He enjoyed a career that saw him acting on both the small and big screens.
Terence Donovan’s Filmography Was Extensive
GettyHaving started his acting career in the early 1960s and worked until the 2020s, Terence Donovan built an extensive catalogue of credits.
His first credit came in 1961 with a recurring role in the Australian legal drama series “Consider Your Verdict.”
He went on to appear in soap operas like “Hotel Story,” “Prisoner,” “Sons and Daughters,” “A Country Practice,” “E Street,” “Home and Away,” and “Neighbours,” the show that made his son famous.
Other television series he appeared in included espionage series “Hunter,” police procedural “Homicide,” police drama “Division 4,” police drama “Cop Shop,” spy action series “Mission Impossible,” medical drama “The Flying Doctors,” teen drama “Heartbreak High,” and medical series “MDA.”
On the big screen, he appeared in movies like 1968’s “Oliver!,” 1977’s “The Getting of Wisdom,” 1978’s “Money Movers,” 1980’s “Breaker Morant,” 1982’s “The Man from Snowy River,” 1983’s “The Winds of Jarrah,” 1986’s “Death of a Soldier,” 1987’s “Running from the Guns,” 1990’s “Jigsaw,” 2003’s “Horseplay,” and 2005’s “Puppy.”
Jason Donovan Celebrates His ‘Huge Character’ Dad
Jason Donovan wrote a tribute to his father, Terence Donovan, on his Instagram stories.
It began, “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 I ask you 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 tribute continued, “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 in knowing we were all here by his side in his final days.”
It concluded, “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 signed it off, “Jason and Paul” (Paul is Jason’s younger half brother).
In addition to his story, Jason also made a post about his dad’s passing. He included a photograph of Terence holding him as a baby and captioned it, “Any man can be a father. It takes someone special to be a dad. Hero, my dad! Xx.”
Per Female First, Terence also leaves behind his second wife, former model Marlene Saunders.
Tributes for Terence Flooded In
GettyWhen Jason Donovan posted the news of Terence’s passing, tributes began to pour in for him.
One of his followers commented on the post, saying, “🔥❤️SO true Jase! You should feel blessed. I sadly never had a father but now I have my little JJ I vow to be the best dad I can be. Hope you’re ok my man. 🙏🏽”
Another follower wrote, “I went to Malvern Central, Spring Road and Park Street and your dad taught me to swim at the Harold Holt pool. He was fabulously patient. Fond memories..”
Someone else said, “I taught you at spring rd malvern and we all were in awe of your dad A true gentleman 😊A great dad and actor 👏.”
“Loved watching him as Doug Willis on Neighbours 🥰,” noted somebody else.
Another Instagram user proclaimed, “A man fondly thought of by many UK Neighbours fans as the lovable Doug Willis. He was in a great era with the likes of Jim, Paul, Lou and Phil in the show.”
Finally, one individual said, “I was a little girl watching your dad in Cop Shop. I thought he was very handsome.”
Jason Also Posted About His Dad’s Lobbying
Jason Donovan also posted about his father’s lobbying in the 1970s to change the policy on local television content quotas in a campaign branded “T.V. Make it Australian.”
The star included nine photographs and a caption that makes for a very interesting read.
We’d like to send our heartfelt condolences to Jason Donovan and everyone else who was close to the late Terence Donovan. May his memory be a blessing and may he rest in eternal peace.
Terence Donovan’s filmography and some personal info were courtesy of IMDb.
Jason Donovan’s filmography and discography info were courtesy of IMDb and Discogs.
