My dear, dear FOVI-ites,
By now I’m sure you’ve all heard the news about the canceling of our beloved “All My Children.” I have no doubt that the news has been as upsetting to you as it has been for me and the rest of the cast, crew and production staff. It is deeply sad to see us come to this end after all the years of wonderful storytelling and loyal viewing from countless followers throughout the generations. Regardless of the heartbreak of it all, I’m confident I can speak not only for myself, but also for all those I’ve had the privilege of working beside, and say how grateful we all are for everyone’s steadfast support throughout these 41½ years. We truly wouldn’t have lasted more than one episode without all of you.
Now, on a much more personal note, I want to extend my special thanks to each and every one of you as members of FOVI, for the years of faithful support of not only me, my work, and the show, but also most importantly, the many charities we have come together to aid. You have enabled us to reach out to people who have been in real need, who have in turn, benefited immeasurably by your generosity, compassion, financial and volunteer support. When we began FOVI, I believe somewhere over 10 years ago, it was almost as if it was an experiment, none of us knowing how it might turn out or if it would be successful. We were committed to form something that would not be like other “fan clubs”, namely about fan support of me. Instead, we sought to comprise a group of those who were appreciative of my work, coming together to give of their time, treasure, and hearts toward charitable organizations that touched both theirs and mine. As a result, during these many years, we have raised over $100,000 for numerous charities, including offering ourselves as volunteers for some of those same organizations. The fact is, although my name is attached to FOVI, our successes have been in much greater part the result of you, the “Friends Of” rather than me. I can’t honestly put into words how honored I am to be associated with each of you throughout these many years and very successful endeavors.
As for these final months of AMC, I hope you will continue to watch. It has been brought to our attention that the remaining stories bringing the show to its end will be very exciting and entertaining. I’ve also been given an indication that Dr David will factor significantly in the telling of these stories, which I hope to be true. I have been told similar things these past 8 months or so, only to be disappointed when the time came with how little they figured him into the story. I guess we’ll all just have to wait and see. But regardless, I have to believe, given the new writing team led by Lorraine Broderick, it is sure to be wonderful. She was the Head Writer who did an amazing job of storytelling before this recent team took over. She wrote stories with heart and substance, stories you clearly enjoyed watching given the numbers when she was writing, with the characters you clearly wanted to see, some of whom were absent during her departure. She also wrote the show for many years during the course of its run. Given these facts, I’m optimistic the stories will indeed live up to all they have been heralded in advance to be.
Thank you again, not only for your support of the show, but for making it at all possible for me to perform a character as challenging, satisfying, and immeasurably fun to play as our complex Dr. David Hayward for as many years as I have. I will be very sad to say goodbye to him at the end of it all. Where FOVI stands, I’m not really sure right now. I hope we can continue it, but of course, that will depend on you and those who ultimately make it happen ~ the directors and team volunteers of FOVI, all of whom have remained tirelessly committed to everything we had set out to accomplish, to the great benefit of so many, myself included. It really is due to the vision, hard work and committed support of each and every one of you, that we have enjoyed the breadth of success we have.
My heartfelt thanks to you all,
Vincent
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If you’d like to get first notice of these messages, ongoing charitable projects, or other fan club information, join Friends of Vincent Irizarry (FOVI), by contacting the fan club director, Sandy (Sunny) Wetzel, at sksky@aol.com! For more information about FOVI, click here.
Official Vincent Irizarry Facebook
”Thank you, everyone, for all your dear words and loving support in response to the news that AMC/OLTL are going off the air. Believe me, I feel your pain & sadness. These shows have been a part of our cultural offerings, entertaining millions, and employing 100′s of thousands for generations. There is much to mourn in saying goodbye. On a positive note, we’ve been encouraged to learn that the stories taking us out during the coming months are excellent, very much worth being excited about. Therefore, stay tuned while we travel this parting journey together. I humbly thank you for keeping us on the air for an astonishing 41 1/2 yrs. My words couldn’t possibly ever be enough… Group hug : ) -Vincent”
