All My Children
David Canary’s Daughter Raises Question If Repeated Head Traumas From His Football Past Contributed To AMC Star’s Condition Before His Death
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a progressive degenerative brain disease that is now widely known to be the outcome of repeated head traumas, concussions and more for many NFL athletes, Pro Wrestlers, hockey players and more It has caused mental illness, severe behavioral changes and more in younger athletes to even old-timers, many who suffer unaware what is happening to them. Some athletes who have committed suicide have been later to have been diagnosed with CTE when their brains were donated to research.
Kate Canary, the daughter of All My Children’s beloved and late, David Canary (Adam/Stuart Chandler), is a contributing writer to the New York Daily News, and she wrote a heartfelt, and thought-provoking article, on just what happened to this icon, who died in 2015 at the age of 77 with his formal diagnosis being Alzheimer’s disease.
However, David’s earlier football past as a high school and college football player could very well been the reason why he suffered so many years before, and as Kate related here in these excerpts: “But this diagnosis came after years of suffering with Dad’s cognitive decline, and arguably decades of signs. Without exposing the most excruciating details of a disease that could extinguish the most vibrant of men, I can confess that his case was anything but typical. We lost him in fits and starts, over and over, for roughly seven years leading up to his final breath. Begrudgingly, we learned to lie to him — ‘entering his world,’ as my brother Chris so delicately deemed it — to skirt the contradictory truths that would trigger his outbursts, which left physical scars on objects, on himself, and on others. We knew many families who had faced Alzheimer’s, yet we were the only ones uttering the comparison ‘Jekyll and Hyde. Those closest to Dad witnessed firsthand the erratic, delusional and at times explosive episodes that characterized his particular case, which we tried attributing to an overactive imagination in a broken brain. But as more information emerges about CTE and the nature of its symptoms — the violent mood swings, the lapses in judgment, the hours-long hallucinations, the paranoid delusions — we are left with more questions than answers, more regret than relief.”
Kate goes on to state the facts that David Canary suffered at least four major concussions as a lineman in his high school and college football playing days between the ages of 16 and 22, (she also relates that those are the ones he remembered). She also notes the multi-Daytime Emmy winning star has experienced cognitive difficulties decades before his Alzheimer’s diagnosis, and that there was no genetic lineage that the family knew of that would you would often find with Alzheimer’s patients. She also noted that David’s volatility was unusual for a patient suffering from this disease, which leads us all back to CTE.
In the end a loving daughter asks the questions, “Did football kill my father?” Kate was on the verge of looking into a way to donate David’s brain to science, but sadly he passed away eight weeks later in November of 2015.
The upshot is that when mothers and fathers allow their kids to play football or other-related sports at an early age were concussions are a possibly or involved, think again, you could be changing the course of their lives forever.
So, what did you think of what Kate shared about David Canary’s mental health and condition? It would seem CTE could have been the root cause of what befell this giant of a man in the daytime soap world. Share your thoughts via the comment section below.
So sad! A great actor who seemed like a gentle man.
Real life is always such a fascinating story. I hate to think Mr. Canary and his family suffered so in his final years. Serious issues like this affect many families. Seems fitting a daytime drama might address such in a story line one day. Bless you Ms. Canary for sharing your personal truth with us. I am sure you comforted some, informed others, and hopefully woke up those who have the power and ability to do something about this.
When one of the Three Stooges died it was believed to have been caused by being hit in the head over the years from their constant head hitting in their sketches…injuries of any kind to the head should always being taken seriously as they are the most dangerous…i believe its possible that those injuries DC suffered contributed later to his medical problems/death!!!
Such a very sad story. I could tell he wasn’t well during the online AMC. He was seated during most of his scenes and had little dialogue. When he did speak, you could tell he was putting maximum effort into his lines. Alzheimer’s is such a devastating disease. My mother died of it many years ago. (I doubt she ever played football.) Perhaps it’s time to reconsider violent sports.
Thank you David Canary for sharing your marvelous talent with us. Rest in peace.
I know my dad had Alzheimer’s, it was awful he also was a diabetic 2 times the people over dsed him on his insulin once they took him to the hospital the other time they didn’t. I think to many people get it and at times he wouldn’t remember who we were . Other times he did . i wish there was a cure for cancer and Alzheimers. i think they are both awful i hope i don’t get Alzheimers . My memory is already bad and has been bad a long time lose everything for things forget peoples names .
My mom died from Alzheimer’s disease with no family history of it anywhere. She too suffered a terrible head trauma from a bad fall that left her unconscious and with blood loss and a scar that ran the length of the front hairline. I’d read of the head trauma connection after she passed and have always wondered if that head injury lead ultimately to her demise.
What a sad story! Had no idea of his struggles! Was it towards the end (7yrs) or all through his life! I’m a big fan and may he RIP
Alan Dysert, who played Sean Cudahy on ABC’s All My Children has died. He was 75-years-old. The news of his passing came from his wife Michele who shared via a Facebook post that Dysert died back on October 23.
“My heart is broken as I share that my beloved husband, Alan, passed away on October 23, 2026. While I am struggling to imagine life without him, I am forever grateful to have experienced what so many people spend their lives searching for — the love of a lifetime,” Michele expressed.
While a cause of death was not made public at this time, Michele admitted that Alan, “faced more than his share of health challenges over the years, yet he continued to approach life with determination, humor, and gratitude.”
Photo: ABC
Dysert wrote about his battle with a rare, aggressive and incurable cancer in his 2023 autobiography, Lights, Camera, Cancer! He spoke of having undergone four major cancer-related surgeries, and many rounds of chemotherapy and CT scans.
SEAN CUDAHY WAS ‘BAD GUY’ PERSONFIED
On All My Children, Dysert played Sean Cudahy, the con man villain to his brother, good guy, Tom Cudahy played by Richard Shoberg. Dysert played the role between 1980 and 1990 returning for multiple story arcs, which included being revealed to be the murderer of Sybil Thorne. He was also involved in several affairs including with the impressionable Devon McFadden (Tricia Pursley).
THE LIVES HE TOUCHED
Alan’s longtime agent Melinda Eisnagule told PEOPLE his death is a “loss to our community and to the acting community at large. He touched so many lives and made the industry and the world a better place every day with his positive energy and kindness.”
Dysert leaves behind his wife, Michele and his two sons Cody and Cooper and will be remembered by those who knew him for a career that spanned the theatre, film, TV and performance coaching, and of course being a part of the legacy of All My Children.
Share your remembrances and condolences on the passing of Alan Dysert, All My Children’s Sean Cudahy, via the comment section below.
All My Children
Mark Consuelos Celebrates Kelly Ripa’s 56th Birthday on ‘Live,’ But Remember When Wendy Williams Outed the Couple as Married Before Anyone at ‘All My Children’ Knew?
On the Friday, October 2 episode of Live with Kelly and Mark, the morning talk show marked the 56th birthday of Kelly Ripa (ex-Hayley Vaughan Santos, All My Children).
During the opening segment, Mark Consuelos (ex-Mateo Santos, All My Children) humorously comparing his wife to both Gandhi and Groucho Marx, reflecting on both her comedic ability and peaceful ways.
Later, they went on to discuss the origins of her name and the most popular picks to name babies back in the year she was born, 1970. They were Kimberly, Lisa, and Jennifer for girls and Michael, David, and James for the boys.
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
Ripa recalled that she learned she was almost named Kim. However, their neighbors at the time had two daughters Kelly and Kim, which is what her parents wanted to call them, but they settled on Kelly and and her younger sister, Linda.
At the conclusion of the episode, Mark rolled out a huge cake for his wife. It was, “Happy birthday from all of us here at Live and at home.” Next, he cut the cake, and Ripa grabbed his face and gave him a “thank you” kiss.
Photo: JPI
KELLY AND MARK TRIED TO KEEP THEIR VEGAS WEDDING ON THE DOWN LOW
All of this brings back memories of how Kelly and Mark’s Las Vegas wedding ceremony went public in 1996 while the two were still on All My Children playing Mateo Santos and Hayley Vaughan. In essence, they were outed by then radio host Wendy Williams! They discussed it on the talk show back in 2024.
In fact, the duo hid their marriage from their All My Children castmates for months, until they found out Williams got wind of the nuptials and spread the intel on the airwaves.
The two recalled their secret wedding on a 2024 episode of Live! “We’d eloped. It’d been a few months at that point. We’d been married for three months, nobody at All My Children knew we were even dating, much less married to each other. We’re brushing our teeth and we’ve got Wendy Williams’ radio show on. We’re listening, and she’s like, ‘I’ve got celebrity dish!”
EYEWITNESS
Next Ripa continued, “The celebrities,’ I guess they had a broad use of the term back then, was the fact that ‘two soap stars from All My Children, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos eloped in Las Vegas.’ There was this eyewitness that worked in the Clark County courthouse that said we eloped, and the news broke, and we had to tell everybody we were married.”
Live With Kelly and Mark airs weekdays in syndication. Check your local listings for times in your area.
Share your birthday wishes for Kelly in the comment section, and let us know your thoughts on how Wendy Williams broadcast the news, unbeknownst to the All My Children newlyweds, that they tied the knot in Vegas? Check out Mark and the ‘Live’ studio audience singing ‘happy birthday’ to Kelly in the post below.
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All My Children
‘All My Children’ Movie Writers for Lifetime Revealed: Ron Carlivati, Jamey Giddens and Leo Richardson
This week began and as reported with a spotlight article on Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos and how their production entity, Milojo, has been teeing up the All My Children reboot with Lifetime.
The L.A. Times featured the married couple, co-hosts of Live with Kelly and Mark, and former All My Children cast members (where they met and fell in love) about their plans to bring two All My Children movies to Lifetime and how they are working with the Agnes Nixon estate to make it come to fruition,
On Wednesday, it was revealed by Daytime Confidential, that All My Children reboot producer, Andrew Stearn handpicked none other than Ron Carlivati (ex-head writer, One Life to Live, General Hospital and Days of our Lives) and Jamey Giddens (who is the new co-head writer of The Young and the Restless, following his tenures on the writing teams of Beyond the Gates and Days of Our Lives), as the two scribes who will bring the first of two of Kelly and Mark’s All My Children movies to the page.
Photo: IMDb
RON CARLIVATI AND JAMEY GIDDENS CONFIRM THEIR BOARDING THE ALL MY CHILDREN MOVIE PROJECT
The second installment is said to be written by primetime writer Leo Richardson whose credits include: Star, Katy Keene and more recently the Penn Badgley (ex-Phillip Chancellor IV, The Young and the Restless) starring series, You.
Richardson also wrote for three years on the U.K.’s long-running soap, EastEnders. All My Children revival fans will recall Richardson’s name was attached as the writer for the first incarnation of the All My Children movies, entitled, Pine Valley.
Ron Carlivati took to X and confirmed he is indeed boarding the All My Children movie project. Carlivati shared, “So excited to share this news! Thanks to Andrew Stearn, Kelly Ripa, Mark Consuelos, Albert Bianchini and the Agnes Nixon estate for entrusting Jamey Giddens and me with the first of two planned All My Children movies for Lifetime! Stay tuned!”
Photo: Jeremy Smith/imageSPACE
Jamey Giddens confirmed DC’s announcement by taking to his account on X and expressing, “I’ve been booked and busy in 2026. Thanks to Andrew Stearn, the Agnes Nixon estate, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos for entrusting Ron Carlivati, and me with the first of two planned All My Children movies for Lifetime!”
Some fans seemed to question how Giddens could be writing for the first All My Children movie at Lifetime, when he is the new co-head writer at The Young and the Restless with Dan O’Connor. Jamey answered that head on via X and explained, “We turned in our All My Children script months ago. My sole focus as of this past Monday, is Genoa City, Wisconsin! #YR”
ERICA KANE, MARIA SANTOS AND HAYLEY AND MATEO SANTOS TO APPEAR IN THE ALL MY CHILDREN MOVIE REVIVAL?
In the planned stories, Susan Lucci’s Erica Kane and Eva LaRue’s Maria Santos will be two characters whose lives we will get to see for the first time since the series was canceled by ABC back in 2011 after 41 years on the air. As well, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos confirmed they will make brief appearances on-screen; one could assume as Hayley and Mateo Santos.
“It’d be wonderful to give the fans something that they’ve been yearning for so many years,” shared Mark Consuelos to the LA Times. “All My Children gave me my family. I met my wife there. It gave me my start in the business. It gave us so much. It would be a dream to be able to give back.”
So, what do you think of Ron Carlivati and Jamey Giddens getting nod to write the All My Children movie #1 script and Leo Richardson #2? Weigh-in via the comment section below.
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