From Film Sets to Soundchecks: Patrick Muldoon’s Music-Fueled Second Act
Known for his on-screen swagger, Patrick Muldoon lived by a sharper credo off set: "I don't take myself too seriously — I take the fun seriously," he said before his death in April — a line that hints at the bigger story behind the star.
Patrick Muldoon did a lot more than play one guy on a soap. The longtime actor, producer, and musician died in April 2026 after a heart attack. He was 57. Fans and friends are grieving, and for good reason — the man kept busy in basically every corner of the business.
"I like to think of myself as a guy who doesn’t take himself too seriously but always takes the fun seriously. Whether I’m dodging explosions, saving Christmas, or just popping up in unexpected places, I’m here to entertain, surprise, and maybe make you laugh. So, grab some popcorn and let’s have some fun — it ’s Muldoon time."
The actor you knew (and the one you might not)
Most people first met Muldoon on Days of Our Lives, where he originated Austin Reed — a role that basically defined 90s daytime for a lot of viewers. He popped up on Melrose Place, took a spin through Starship Troopers, did the Hallmark circuit, and just generally kept turning up in places you did not expect but were happy to see. He also spent time behind the camera producing, and he had an honest-to-God music career on top of it. Lisa Rinna, among other former costars, publicly mourned him.
The music: bands, films, and a late burst of new songs
Muldoon fronted a band called The Sleeping Masses with Neil Graham Ives. They dropped a self-titled album in 2006 and a second, Become Everything, in 2009. Their biggest track, "The Woman is the Way," landed in the 2009 movie Powder Blue and even showed up on The Hills. The group went quiet after that second record, but in 2025 Muldoon and Ives teamed again for a joint EP called Gray Again. If Denise Richards’ reality show Denise Richards & Her Wild Things was on your radar, you might have heard some of their new stuff there — Muldoon and Richards were friends and former costars. That same year, he also released his first solo single, "I Believe."
The producer: from Spelling to a last-minute project
After his Melrose Place run, Muldoon signed an exclusive development deal with Spelling Entertainment — the company behind Melrose and a stack of other shows — where he worked as a programming coproducer. He helped develop the USA Petite Model Show, created by model Ann Lauren, and produced (and starred in) Badge of Honor.
Days before he died, he said he’d signed on as an executive producer of Kockroach, adapted from the William Lashner novel. In an April 2026 Instagram post, he said the film was directed by Matt Ross and starring Chris Hemsworth, Taron Edgerton, Zazie Beetz, and Alec Baldwin, with cameras rolling in Australia. If the spelling of 'Edgerton' jumped out at you — yes, that’s how he posted it. Either way, it’s a stacked lineup and a bittersweet final update from him.
The startup exec chapter
Muldoon was also Head of Development at Storyboard, a media company that partners on development, financing, production, marketing, and distribution across theatrical releases, VOD, and new media. Credits on their site include Dirty Hands, Riff Raff, Arkansas, A Great Divide, Marlowe, Spinning Gold, and more.
Storyboard’s President of Global Sales and Distribution, Elisabeth Costa de Beauregard Segel, summed up what a lot of people are feeling right now, saying in an April 2026 statement: "We are gutted. He was the most amazing human. Heaven got another angel far too soon."
What sticks
Muldoon built one of those careers that looks straightforward from afar — soap heartthrob becomes that guy you recognize in movies — and then turns out to be way wider up close: singer, producer, exec, always working, always game. He said he took the fun seriously. It shows.