As previously reported, former “All My Children” actor John Callahan (ex-Edmund Grey) died early Saturday morning following a massive stroke he incurred yesterday morning while at his Palm Desert, California home. After a call was placed to paramedics, Callahan was rushed to the Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California where he was put on life support. He was just 66 years old.
Ex-wife Eva LaRue (ex-Dr. Maria Santos, “AMC”) and their daughter Kaya rushed to be by his side but due to current hospital safety regulations, the two were only able to see the actor for a limited time before having to leave the hospital. They were later notified by phone of Callahan’s passing shortly after midnight.
“May Flights of Angels Wing You to Your Rest my Dear Friend. Your bigger than life, gregarious personality will leave a hole in our hearts forever,” wrote LaRue in a post on Instagram that included several pictures of the family together during the best of times. “We are devastated. My great friend, co-parent, partner, and loving father to Kaya.”
Also sharing some of their fondest memories of Callahan were his former “AMC” co-stars Kelly Ripa (ex-Hayley Santos Vaughan), Cameron Mathison (ex-Ryan Lavery), Finola Hughes (Anna/Alex Devane), Cady McClain (ex-Dixie Cooney) and Sarah Michelle Gellar (ex-Kendall Hart), among others.
“Because there are no words, all I can muster is Rest In Peace John Callahan,” said Ripa in a post on Instagram. “My heart breaks for you, Eva and Kaya.”
“Get past the horrible eyebrows on me and you will notice the incredibly handsome man standing beside me at my high school graduation,” shared Gellar on Instagram of herself with Callahan at her high school graduation while she was simultaneously playing the devilish role of Kendall Hart on “All My Children.” She added, “That’s John Callahan, or better known to me as GP (but why I called him that remains between us and those closest to him). He stepped into a lot of moments in my life because I didn’t have a father to be there. Johns’s greatest joy in his life was when he had a daughter of his own [Kaya]. John left us this morning. I promise you GP just as you were there for me, I will always be there for smoosh (Kaya) and Eva as well. I will tape a pic of you to my handheld mirror (that’s for you Kelly Ripa). This is all too much, especially right now, but I want the world to know how much you meant to so many people.”
“Very sorry to hear about the passing of my scene partner John Callahan from back on ‘AMC,'” shared Hughes on Twitter. “Always ready with a fun story or joke, a true Irishman. Sending love to Eva LaRue & his beautiful daughter, Kaya.”
“My heart just broke,” wrote Mathison in response to LaRue’s post. “I love you John. It was an absolute honor working with you, playing golf with you, and just knowing you. You will be missed by so many.”
A multitude of other stars have responded to LaRue’s post, including friends, former co-stars, other daytime actors and celebrities such as John J. York, Laura Wright, Jessica Collins, Rebecca Budig, Greg Rikaart, Justin Baldoni, Patrika Darbo and Carrie Genzel, “Real Housewives” host Andy Cohen and even Canadian-American hockey player Jakob Chychrun, just to name a few who sent their condolences to Callahan’s family.
You can read some of their messages below.
Good man, funny man, Gentle-man🙏🏻thinking of you and your family…R.I.P. John Callahan – 'All My Children' Star Dead at 66 | Soap Opera Network https://t.co/EumveCOT9b
— John J York (@JohnJYork) March 28, 2020
We're devastated to share that John Callahan passed away earlier today. Sending our deepest condolences to Eva La Rue and all his loved ones 🙏 pic.twitter.com/VqsRI9VlWa
— Daytime Emmys (@DaytimeEmmys) March 28, 2020
Eva, our family is sending you and Kaya all of our love, condolences and deepest sympathies right now
🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽💔💔💔💔
Rest In Peace John Callahan
🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹 https://t.co/9rrvvcWIUm— Holly Robinson Peete 💃🏾♍️ (@hollyrpeete) March 28, 2020
Very sorry to hear about the passing of my scene partner #johncallahan from back on #AMC Always ready with a fun story or joke, a true Irishman. Sending love to #evalarue & his beautiful daughter Kaya ❤️ rip #johncallahan
— Finola Hughes (@finolahughes) March 28, 2020
