Eva LaRue and All My Children castmates share favorite memories of late costar John Callahan
Watch episode 1 of EW Cast Reunions: All My Children streaming now on PeopleTV.com, or download the PeopleTV app on your favorite device.
Longtime All My Children star John Callahan died in late March at the age of 66, and some of his former costars shared their favorite memories of the soap vet when EW reunited the cast for a weeklong reunion event.
During the first episode of EW's Cast Reunions: All My Children series on Tuesday, Eva LaRue, Kelly Ripa, Mark Consuelos, and Sydney Penny reminisce about how warm the late actor was.
LaRue, who was married to Callahan on and off-screen (the couple was married from 1996-2005), recalls her first day on the soap opera in 1993. "I just remember seeing this big beaming smile, and I'll never forget," she says of seeing Callahan for the first time in the video above. "He was like, 'Oh, you're here!' It was the biggest, most loving welcome. It was really great."
Penny, who played Maria Santos' (LaRue) sister on AMC, agrees with her costar's sentiment. The actress' dressing room was next to Callahan's, and he always kept his door open.
"He would always be willing to talk to anybody. And there were some days when it was just nice to lean on the door and go, 'John, oh my God this scene today,'" Penny recalls. "He would always find some way to get you motivated, that you can do it because it's not impossible. And it was always a big help to lean on his door."
Ripa reveals that she and Callahan used to spend an "enormous amount of time together" because they were neighbors, and she would even "third wheel" when LaRue and Callahan first started dating.
"I could hear their thought process like, 'Are we really taking your little sister out again on a Friday night?'" Ripa says. "It was fine. I had no problem interloping. I never took a hint."
Callahan died on March 27, reportedly from a stroke, and LaRue spoke about his final moments. In the clip below, she recounts how she and their daughter were at the hospital with him and that Sarah Michelle Gellar was the first AMC alum to call to show support. He died later that same night.
Eva LaRue Opens Up About Late Ex-Husband John Callahan’s Final Moments
Watch a clip from EW's reunion of 'All My Children.'
"John was already on life support, and he was unresponsive. But we were singing to him, and playing his music, and telling him we loved him," LaRue shares. "Sarah called, and she said, 'Put the phone by his ear. I want to talk to him.' And so... she got a chance to say goodbye to him which was really cool, and say what she wanted to say."
She says Gellar even used her special nickname for Callahan, GP (short for grandpa), to motivate him over the phone. Ripa and Consuelos were next to call and offer their condolences.
"It was his time to go," LaRue says.
The All My Children reunion is part of EW's ongoing #UnitedAtHome series. A new episode will drop every day at 10 a.m. ET and two on Friday. The weeklong event is also for a good cause, with the AMC cast choosing to support Feeding America, which is putting food on the tables of those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic across the country. For those who want to donate, please visit ew.com/allmychildrenreunion.
Watch two clips of the cast sharing memories of Callahan above, and see the full reunion episode here.
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