Morrissey "Lover-To-Be" Vinyl Single Cover Features Donnelly Rhodes Photo

In December 2018, musician Morrissey mentioned actor Donnelly Rhodes in a post on his blog, along with a photo of the former Soap and The Young and the Restless star.

"2018 was cruel to the Arts; more have quietly slipped away than you possibly realize: Peter Wyngarde, Charles Aznavour, Vic Damone, Nancy Wilson, Dorothy Malone, Bernardo Bertolucci, Aretha Franklin, Givenchy, Donnelly Rhodes," he wrote.

This month, Morrissey released a new vinyl single, "Lover-To-Be," which featured the same photo of Rhodes on the cover. It is unclear if Morrissey was a fan of the late actor, or if another connection existed.

Rhodes played Phillip Chancellor II on The Young and the Restless in 1974-1975. The character's death set up decades worth of story for Katherine (Jeanne Cooper) and Jill (Brenda Dickson, Jess Walton, Deborah Adair, and more).

Donnelly Rhodes Dead at 81

Donnelly Rhodes, a Canadian-born character actor best remembered by daytime drama fans for his portrayal of Phillip Chancellor II on The Young and the Restless, died on Monday at a hospice facility near his home in Maple Ridge, British Columbia. He was 81.

The cause was cancer, his agent, Lisa King, said.

Rhodes's television career began with westerns like Maverick and Bonanza in the early 1960s and continued until 2016. Over the decades he appeared in practically every televised genre, from sitcoms to soap operas.

Although he did not originate the role of Phillip Chancellor II on The Young and the Restless, his portrayal from 1974 to the character's death in 1975 would resonate with viewers and in the storyline, for many years to come. Phillip's wife, Katherine (Jeanne Cooper), was a messy drunk so he turned his attention to the young and beautiful Jill Foster (Brenda Dickson). Phillip and Jill began an affair that led him to demand a divorce from his wife. Phillip ultimately died in a car crash, leaving a lost and angry Katherine to battle the devastated and now pregnant Jill. Their battles were at the center of the show for the next four decades.

His experience on The Young and the Restlessmay have prepared him for the plot twists and surprises of the soap-opera spoof Soap. Beginning in 1978, during the show’s second season, he played Dutch Leitner, a dimwitted criminal who helped Chester Tate, the philandering head of the wealthy Tate family, escape from prison. Duth then hid out at the Tate mansion and later wooed and eventually married Chester’s daughter, Eunice. Rhodes was on the show until it was canceled in 1981.