I am very sad to learn of Benjamin Hendrickson's passing. He and his character were an integral part of AS THE WORLD TURNS since 1985. Seeing him over all of those years, I never saw him "phone in" a performance. He always put 100% into his character and was always full of emotion, whether it be joy or anger or sadness. Watching his character of Hal mourn the passing of his daughter Jennifer, knowing that these are the last few episodes we will ever see with his work, makes it that much sadder. How fortunate the cast and crew were to have Mr. Hendrickson as their fellow coworker for all of these years. I would like to extend my condolences to everyone who knew Benjamin and are mourning his passing at this time. I will always enjoy his performances he gave over the years. I especially liked the frist time he returned to the show after having left, when Hal came back to Barbara and had not really been murdered while undercover. I am also so excited that he had won the Daytime Emmy in 2003 for Outstanding Supporting Actor. We will all miss his enormous talent and I think it is only fitting that ATWT not recast the role again. Nobody else who has ever filled in, has ever held a candle to Mr. Hendrickson as Hal.

Rick in Philadelphia

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Oh my gosh! I just finished watching As the World Turns for today and was shocked to see the tribute frame at the end for Benjamin Hendrickson. I absolutely loved him. His portrayal of Hal was fantastic and was one of the reasons I watch ATWT each day. Each time I'd read that he was coming back to the show after being gone, I'd be elated! It'll be hard knowing that I won't be able to watch one of my favorite daytime actors anymore. How poignant that this tribute was at the end of the show where everyone said goodbye to Jennifer at her memorial service, and Benjamin played such a large part in that episode. Deepest sympathy goes out to his family and the cast of ATWT.

Mr. Hendrickson, rest in peace. You will truly be missed by all of your fans.

Sincerely,
Annemarie Rand

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To all the family, friends, and loyal watchers of an award winning actor, a man that brought life into a character, that was a breath of fresh air, that truly knew how to captivate a audience,  I pray that all your dreams were granted, and may your soul rest in peace.

You will truly be missed. Others may come an go as detective Hal Munson, but the part will forever belong to Benjamin Hendrickson. My prayers are with you and yours,

Sincerely A devoted Fan
Jennifer Patz

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I've been a long time fan of ATWT it would seem forever.  I remember being a little girl and watching Jeff and Penny with my mother. I was hooked back in the Tom/Margo/Barbara/James days.

I feel so bady that Mr. Hendrickson was so upset that he felt suicide was his only option out. If only there were a way to have reached out to him and helped him.  My family's prayers are with his family through this crucial time.  We love him and have enjoyed watching his character of "Hal" for many years.  ATWT and the world have suffered a HUGE loss.

I listen to the show on my radio/Tv or to the podcasts at work every day and I've noticed for a few months now that he seemed to be struggling to form his words, almost slurring.  I thought he sounded like I sounded when I was drinking and trying to speak. I also thought of Michael Zaslow and the beginning of his ALS when he was unable to speak. Of the two, I actually hoped Benjamin was drinking rather than having ALS...at least it is treatable.  I wondered if he'd had a stroke and I remembered the leave-of-absences he had taken for family reasons.  I thought of a the time a family member, maybe his brother,  was ill and passed away a few years ago and he had to take time off during that period; leading me to wonder if there was a hereditary disease in his family and he may have been aware of what he was in for if he also had it. I have been watching all of the late breaking news articles in the magazine for possible news about him. This is not the news I'd thought I would see about him though.

I realize this is a deeply personal time for his family and our prayers are with them. I hope they know that after watching a character for twenty years we feel an attachment to them, even though we've never met them. We mourn our loss as well as theirs...May God bless Benjamin and his family and take care of them all.  I thank God for the time we had with him as our very own "Hal".

Lynne
Cincinnati, Ohio

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