Devotees of Matthew Ashford are...

Devotees of Matthew Ashford are worried about the Days of our Lives star. His heroic alter ego, Jack Devereaux, has been having suicidal thoughts ever since he was stricken with an unspecified, mysterious soap illness that supposedly guarantees him a slow, painful death. Worse yet, he drove his car off an icy bridge last week. In today's episode, Jack's wrecked auto will be dredged out of the river — and no body will be found inside.

So, has the NBC sudser sacrificed Ashford and his classic character just to push Jack's saintly wife, Jennifer (Melissa Reeves) back into the arms of ex-boyfriend Frankie (Billy Warlock)? Is this the bitter end of Jack and Jen's love story? Don't bet on it. "What we are able to say is that Matt is still a contract player," a Days rep tells TVGuide.com. "We can't give any specifics. Sorry!" Guess we'll just have to stay tuned....