RIP

Hal Munson, one of my childhood heroes, is dead. Actor Benjamin Hendrickson committed suicide last week.

“As the World Turns” was a big part of my youth and again in my mid-20s. ATWT was my constant after moving from Nebraska to California. I came back to the show right in time for the amazing late-2000 plot of Craig Montgomery, which included the fantastic turn of Barbara Ryan, the return and ascension of Paul Ryan, and the brilliant setup for the return of James Stenbeck.

In the middle of all of it was Hal Munson. He found love with Emily, but he still couldn’t completely turn his back on Barbara, no matter how many times she betrayed him. If CBS ever released 2000-2002 on DVD, I would buy all of it.

But that’s beside the point. I’ve been looking up a lot of stuff on Benjamin “Hal” Hendrickson, and apparently he was a little embarrassed that his stellar performance as a young actor never really materialized into anything more than a measly soap opera. He’d also apparently taken the death of his mother really hard.

It’s sad when suicide happens to anyone. It’s also hard when the victim of that is someone whose stage persona was the embodiment of strength under pressure.

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