The Truth About Days Of Our Lives' Messy Bill, Mickey, And Laura Love Triangle
"Days of Our Lives" fans have seen plenty of romance and drama over the NBC soap opera's long run on television. Viewers have watched the forming of super couples such as Bo and Hope Brady, John Black and Marlena Evans, Chad DiMera and Abigail Deveraux, Will Horton and Sonny Kiriakis, Sami Brady and EJ DiMera, Ben Weston and Ciara Brady, and many more, per Fame 10.
Of course, "DOOL" fans have also watched many love triangles tear couples apart. Some of the best love triangles over the decades have included the romances between Bo Brady, Hope Williams Brady, and Billie Reed; John Black, Marlena Evans, and Roman Brady; and Sami Brady, Austin Reed, and Carrie Brady (via Cheat Sheet). While there is no shortage of drama on the sudser these days, longtime fans can't help but remember some of the show's original pairings and love triangles, such as the dramatic situation that brewed between Mickey Horton, Laura Spencer, and Bill Horton.
Laura fell in love with brothers Bill and Mickey Horton
"Days of Our Lives" viewers first met the character Bill Horton (John Clarke) in 1965. Bill is the youngest son of Salem's original beloved couple, Tom and Alice Horton (via Soaps). Bill returned to Salem while on vacation from Harvard Medical School. After his graduation in June 1966, he moved back to his hometown and took a job at Salem University Hospital alongside his father.
Bill's older brother, Mickey Horton, was a prominent lawyer in Salem, and although the character is best known for his epic romance with the love of his life, Maggie Horton (Suzanne Rogers), Mickey and his brother originally battled for the affection of Dr. Laura Spencer (Susan Flannery and Jaime Lyn Bauer), per Soap Central. Laura was a young psychiatric intern when she met and fell in love with Bill (via Soaps in Depth). The couple began dating and eventually got engaged. However, he later called it off, and she moved on with Tony Merrit. When Laura and Tony's marriage ended, she was assigned to evaluate one of Mickey's clients. The two worked closely together and formed a close bond. The two eventually got married, but things took a dark turn when Laura was raped by Bill and became pregnant with her son, Mike Horton.
After Laura became pregnant, her marriage to Mickey became increasingly difficult. Mickey eventually turned to Linda Patterson for comfort and when Laura found out about her husband's affair, she tried to work things out with Mickey.
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Laura's relationships with Mickey and Bill didn't end well
Eventually, the marriage crumbled, and Laura fell back in love with Bill despite their dark history. "Days of Our Lives" fans watched as Mickey dealt with some health issues and eventually left Salem, where he met Maggie. When he returned to Salem, he agreed to divorce Laura so that she could be with Bill and he could continue his relationship with Maggie (via Soap Central).
Bill and Laura finally got married and welcomed another child, daughter Jennifer. Sadly, their marriage also began to suffer, and when Laura's mother committed suicide, Laura fell into a deep depression. She began to have hallucinations of her mother and also tried to kill herself before Bill saved her and had her committed into a sanitarium in 1980, per Soaps. Bill moved away from Salem to be closer to Laura and left his daughter Jennifer to be raised by her grandparents, Tom and Alice Horton. Bill returned in 1994 when Laura was released from the sanitarium. The two later divorced.
Mickey lived out the majority of his life with Maggie and died in 2010. In 2020, Bill died from a heart attack off-screen (via Soaps). That same year, Laura got into an altercation with Gwen Rizczech, which caused her to fall and hit her head, leaving her dead as well (via Soaps in Depth).
Although all three characters are now gone, longtime "DOOL" fans will never forget their epic love triangle.
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