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Y&R’s Jason Thompson Mourns The Loss Of His Beloved Vedder & Shares Heartfelt, Emotional Words On His Passing

By Michael Fairman

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Photo: JThompsonInstagram

Our condolences and thoughts go out to The Young and the Restless star, Jason Thompson (Billy Abbott) who revealed that he lost his longtime companion, buddy, and beloved dog, Vedder.

As all of Jason’s followers on social media know, he had one of the most spectacular relationships with man’s best friend ever documented. Thompson often shared photos of Vedder throughout their time together with his fans, which showed the love they shared.

In a touching and emotional Instagram post, Thompson noted that he and Vedder were together for 10 and half years before his passing, as Jason beautifully wrote down his thoughts as he mourns the loss of his dog.

Here is what he shared on Vedder’s passing: “Sleep sweetly my boy. 4/3/07-6/5/17 Vedder.  It’s hard to say he was mine. Although for almost 10.5 years I did what I needed to do to take care of him, truthfully it was Vedder that took care of me. He was the greatest of Danes, the sweetest ever. Right now, my heart is broken, the heaviest chest I’ve ever felt. The hardest thing I’ve ever had to do was say good-bye to my Vedder. For anyone that has met him, had the honor of him leaning on you almost knocking you over, sitting on your lap like a human, you know his love. For the countless strangers that stoped in the street, in their cars to take a picture of him, to pet him, to simply say “wow”. He was a beautiful, beautifully creature. The memories I have of him are endless. 10.5 years, every morning, except some of the hard ones recently, he would walk down the hall, nails clicking on the hardwood, push open the door and came and lay his head down on my side of the bed. Just to say good morning. 2 years ago, when we found out he had cancer, we didn’t know we were pregnant at the time with Bowie. It was devastating news. Then came the best news I’d ever received. Paloma and I were gonna have a baby. With that joy, my first thought was..I hope he can meet Vedder. Ah did he. Vedder was his dragon to climb. The ever patient and always loving. To everyone that has ever commented or posted loving words about him, thank you. It always meant the world to me. He may have mine, in a way, but he was ours. All of ours. He breathed joy into the world. Nothing less. Thank you my boy. I will alway love you MyVedder. X”

Jason’s sentiments conveyed in his Instagram message moved us to tears.  What did you think of his emotional message? Send your thoughts, prayers and condolences to Jason in the comment section below.

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Dear Jason, I am so sorry you lost your wonderful boy, Vedder. My thoughts and prayers are with you. I know you gave him a wonderful life. May his memory be a blessing in your life.

I am very sorry for Jason. I know what he’s going through as I lost my Paddy to cancer. and she was my best friend too. I had her cremated and I do talk to her all the time and place my hand on her urn. Just keep the memories alive, Jason. Vedder will live on in your heart.

I’m sorry, James.

So sorry for your loss Jason, he looked like such a sweet dog. I know how you feel I lost my yorkie at 13 years in 2015. All you can do is hold on to the happy & funny moments you had with him.

I am so sorry to hear of your buddy! I got on twitter many times to see a new photo of him, and always smiled when there was a new post. I guess I have been a fan of Vedder’s for a while, without ever meeting him. I love animals, and great dane’s are a favorite of mine. I am happy for the years you all had with him, and my heart breaks for you as well. We lost our baby last year and he was nine years old. He was so much like a human too.

So sorry for your loss! My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Hi Jason I’m so very sorry for the death of ur sweet beautiful Vedder! What a handsome boy he was ! I know u will miss him all the rest of ur lives ! Playing on the rainbow bridge with other fur babies is the best way to remember ur Vedder! We will always miss n love the sweet handsome boy! Much love n prayers to u the Thompson family ! RIP Vedder !

I am so very sorry for your loss of ur precious Vedder, Our pets ARE our family so its devastating when we lose them . May You find comfort in knowing u gave him the best life possible and look at all of the memories you have ,nothing will ever take away those …prayers of comfort sent your way Jason,

Dear Jason: I am so very sorry for your loss of Vedder. I know how we can get really attached with our four legged friends. To me they are family. They are always there forbus in good times and for the bad ones as well. My is 13 years old and slowing down. It tears at my heart to think of a time without him too. I wish you all the best! Joe

I cried through Jason’s entire post. Looking at his sweet pup’s face…I could visualize all the things they did together and feel the love and bond between them. Being the proud mom of a beautiful little cat whom I adore more than I can ever put into words…the pain of what’s to come…she’s 19 and has some health issues…breaks my heart every day and I hold her as close to me as I possibly can without smothering her ! I could go on and on about my love for her and her complete adorability…so I know.

I once knew a guy who used to walk his beautiful dog every night. He was totally in love with her. Out of the blue, it was discovered she had a tumor; she died the night his first child was born. He told me that he felt like he lost one child while another was born…and in the midst of his happiness for the birth of his daughter he was overcome with loss and devastation. The bond between our animals and us…the feelings.. the epitome of unconditional love.

My sincerest condolences on your loss, Jason. Your tribute was beautiful.

My condolences. Ten years is a long time for a great dane. I know it’s sad when our beloved pets leave us. My Chihuahua just celebrated his 15th birthday and I am grateful for every day with him.

As I read your words, I felt your pain and loss. Those who are blessed with such a wonderful companion share in your grief. My furbaby will be 19 and I feel blessed each and every day he stays with me. Cherish your memories they will help see you through this hard time.

My heart goes out to you Jason. You gave Vedder over 10 years of life and love. God bless you

Hard to find the words right now. This is just too sad, I am so sorry.

So very sorry for your loss Jason. They take a part of with them when they leave. One day you will be able to smile and the hurt won’t be so bad and rest assured you will see him again one day.

I understand the pain…I lost my Chihuahua Scooby when he was 15 years old and my Dino to cancer when he was 7….you are just never ready to say goodbye, but with time it does get less painful.
P.S. Love you as both Billy and Patrick!!

What a beautiful thing Jason wrote about his dog. It shows what a sweet caring man he is. A man and his dog. I saw the same relationship with my husband and his dog, a german shepard named Bishop. He would wait by the stairs every night for my husband to come home from work. I saw the love in his eyes. When he passed, it was the first time I saw my husband cry. Jason, be happy for all the wonderful memories you had with your buddy.

Dear Jason,

Sending you my condolences. I was in tears reading the loss of Vedder. May God give you the strength to get through this. God bless you and your beautiful family. Rest in heaven Vedder.

I’m so sorry for your loss Mr. Jason. I’m also so glad that Mr. Vedder got to meet and be with your new addition to your family.

Jason, you keep on hanging in there and know that GOD is taking care of Vedder for you…I loved your character on GH and loving you on Y&R as Billy, you are a fantastic actor…I agree with what Bella said, you have such a beautiful family…GOD BLESS you and your family and stay safe and well…

Dear Mr. Thompson –

The connection we share with our dogs cannot be explained, it transcends words. Remember the million moments you shared , you know how lucky you both were!

Yeah I know how he feels I lost my black lab named champ in which I was lucky enough to have for 14 years so sorry for your loss Jason and your in my prayers

General Hospital

‘General Hospital’s’ Dominic Zamprogna Shares He Was ‘Happy to Hear’ of The Triangle Storyline Developing Between Dante/Elizabeth/Ric

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Dominic Zamprogna

General Hospital’s Dominic Zamprogna (Dante Falconeri) opened up about the burgeoning love triangle forming between his Port Charles alter-go, Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst) and Ric Lansing (Rick Hearst) after recently aired scenes, plus his hopes for the future of a Dante and Liz pairing, during his appearance on the Sunday, April 23 edition of the That’s Awesome podcast with Steve Burton (Jason Morgan) and Bradford Anderson (Spinelli).

On last week’s episodes of GH, Ric has made the decision that he wanted to propose to his ex-wife, only when he showed up at Elizabeth’s front door, he misread the scenario he walked in with Liz tending to Dante’s injured leg from the softball game. From there, the legal eagle’s jealous streak is reemerging which may cause him to act out and do something unforgivable, or will he take the high road? Stay tuned.

Speaking with Steve Burton and Bradford Anderson about where Elizabeth stands in the annals of the long-running soap, Zamprogna said, “She’s up there with Steve and Maurice (Maurice Benard) as one of the most legacy-filled people on the show.”

Courtesy/ABC

HOW DANTE AND ELIZABETH CAME ABOUT

Dominic jokes it’s a far cry for where Dante and Elizabeth previously, recalling, “We had some scenes together years ago and we were both laughing. Becky’s like, ‘Well, I guess we’re not going be paired up anytime soon.’ I remember we laughed immediately after they yelled ‘cut,”‘and said to each other, ‘Well, so much for that!'”

Fast-forward to early 2025 and as Zamprogna remembered it, “Elizabeth Korte (co-head writer, GH) came up to me at the General Hospital Christmas party, and I think it was a year and a half ago and she said, ‘We’re going to have you in scenes with Elizabeth,’ My internal monologue is going, ‘I’m not with Lulu (Alexa Havins) anymore and Sam’s (Kelly Monaco) gone, so maybe they want to see if this works.’ I didn’t want to get scenes with Becky and try to find the chemistry. I just wanted to play whatever honestly was written and came across for both of us and hope it was what people liked, and I don’t know if it is … or not.”

Knowing how beloved Elizabeth is to the GH faithfuls, Zamprogna added, “She got a big fan base with Ric … and a big fan base with with Jason … and you know, you’re going to piss somebody off. But, didn’t Ric drug Elizabeth and put Carly in a panic room?”

Dom and Liz

Photo: ABC

DANTE AND ELIZABETH PAIRING COULD STIR UP STORY FOR OTHERS IN PORT CHARLES

In closing, Dominic felt that the wide-reaching tentacles of a Dante and Elizabeth relationship is something he is 100% down for. “The triangle thing; I was happy to hear it was with Ric and her, because I felt it’s important to have her the top of it as opposed to Dante, Lulu and Elizabeth.”

Zamprogna added, “When you get into relationships on a soap, things seem to fizzle out a little bit, The buildup is what’s the fun part, and the getting to know each other, and the people who are affected by this coming together. When with this case it’s going to affect: Ric, Sonny, Lulu. There’s so much more story here. To me, it’s going to be a fun story to play.”

You can check out Dominic’s visit to That’s Awesome with Steve and Bradford below.

Now weigh-in: Are you rooting for Dante and Liz, or Dante and Ric at this juncture of the story, or neither guy  for Elizabeth? Let us know your thoughts and picks via the comment section.

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Beyond the Gates

‘Beyond the Gates’ Star Mike Manning Lands Role in Indie Horror Feature ‘Deify’

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Mike Manning

While Smitty tries to hold the fort down in his marriage to congressman Martin Richardson (Brandon Claybon)  and their two teenaged children, Samantha (Najah Jackson) and Tyrell (Jaden Lucas Miller) on Beyond the Gates, Emmy-winner Mike Manning has also landed another feature film role.

According to Deadline, Manning has joined the cast of Deify with 6 other new cast members for the indie psychological horror film starring Neal McDonough and Skeet Ulrich, which was previously announced last week.

Joining Manning as the latest cast addition are: Dennis Haysbert, Ashley Greene,  Casey Harnett, Kirk Avecdo, Anji White, anf Nicholas Chimera who’s directing the pic also has a part in the film.

WHAT’S THE STORY OF DEIFY?

Taking to his Instagram with the news of his casting, Manning shared, “A movie about a cult? What could possibly go wrong? Come for the enlightenment. Stay because they won’t let you leave. DEIFY is coming…”

The movie is currently shooting in Chicago and in story, “a cult leader is put on trial after causing his devoted followers to be burned alive. The film is inspired in part by events surrounding the 1993 Waco, Texas, standoff between members of the Branch Davidians church and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, one of the largest civilian firefights ever recorded on American soil.”

MIKE MANNING IS A DAYTIME EMMY NOMINEE

In addition, the multi-talented Manning is a producer on the feature. Previously, Mike was nominated last month in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for the upcoming 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards. He previously won an Emmy for his role on The Bay and for being a producer on the digital drama.

Mike’s previous credits include the role of Charlie Dale on Days of Our Lives and the Manny on This Is Us, plus various primetime and screen credits.

So intrigued to find what role Mike will play in the upcoming horror/cult film, Deify? Enjoying him as Smitty on Beyond the Gates? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.

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General Hospital

GH and OLTL Alum Patrick J. Gibbons Reveals the Story Behind Writing Trina’s Song on ‘General Hospital’ (Exclusive)

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Patrick J. Gibbons

At the conclusion of today’s August 21 episode of General Hospital, Trina Robinson (Tabyana Ali) sings a lullaby to baby Dez, that went into a montage to close out the episode as her father Curtis Ashford (Donnell Turner) reports to Pentonville and winds up in his jail cell.

However, in a fun fact, the song entitled, “A Lonely Heart To Give” was actually written by none other than former One Life to Live and General Hospital actor, Patrick J. Gibbons.

Daytime fans first met Gibbons as Sam Manning on One Life to Live. At the time, when he started on the soap, he was just 5-years-old. Gibbons played the part from 2010-2013 on ABC and Prospect Park’s editions of the show. Fast-forward to 2018, Gibbons shows up on General Hospital as Wyatt Hoover, the scout who seemed always be injured, but in the thick of the drama. Patrick had appeared on GH multiple times as Wyatt including: 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023.

Photo: ABC

FROM HIS GRANDMOTHER’S DEATH CAME THE INSPIRATION FOR HIS SONG

Now in 2026, General Hospital fans are getting to learn about another side of Gibbons’ talent as a songwriter and guitar player after “A Lonely Heart to Give” debuted today! Michael Fairman TV caught up with Patrick, who is now a senior at Penn State entering his final year as a finance major, to get the back-story of how his song wound up on GH!

Gibbons explained he wrote the song in honor of his grandmother who passed away a few years ago with whom he was, very, very close with. “Randomly, my grandmother had a downfall and passed away during the second semester of my sophomore year. I was in my dorm a lot and I was just playing with my guitar. And at the time, I was really into finger-style playing. I wrote the lyric and music to it (with a little help from my guitar teacher Lou), and my mom showed the rough demo to Frank Valentini (EP, General Hospital). He’s like an uncle to me. Frank loved it so much he said, “Finish that up. I want to hear the whole thing, and I want it on the show.”

MAKING MUSIC FOR GENERAL HOSPITAL

Gibbons and his parents took the next steps! “So now, all we needed was a female voice, because I thought that would fit the song well,” Patrick shared. “At the golf club we go to my parents were at a dinner. They liked the singer that was performing and spoke to her about the song, and she says she would like to bring it to her ‘boss’ who ended up being Eric Bazilian of the Hooters fame!” (Bazilian also wrote the smash hit song “One of Us” for Joan Osborne).

Next, “We went in the studio and recorded it and the song came together and it was beautiful. We loved it. They loved it at General Hospital and now they’re putting it the show and they are coming in with a piano, instead of a guitar. Paul Glass, the GH musical director, has been keeping us updated over the last six months of how it was coming along, and when it would air, and how GH put their own arrangement to it. I can’t wait to see and hear what they did with it.”

Photo: JPI

PATRICK’S ONE LIFE TO LIVE FAMILY

Everyone knows that the One Life to Live extended family share a very tight bond, and Patrick said he does stay in touch with a few of his former One Life to Live co-stars, especially those from the Manning family! “I stayed in touch with Kassie DePaiva (ex-Blair) and sent her little videos here and there. She was like my second mom for five years. We keep in contact with Kristen Alderson (ex-Starr) over X the most, and she can’t believe how big I’ve gotten. Like, none of them can! (laughs). I also loved working with Roger Howarth (ex-Todd) and Trevor St. John (ex-Todd and Victor Jr.), and to me since I was so young, they were just my friends, ‘Roger and Trevor,’ not Todd Manning or Victor Jr.”

It was a trip to California and a visit to Port Charles that ultimately led to Gibbons second soap role of Wyatt Hoover. Patrick explains, “In 2016, Frank Valentini invited us out to Los Angeles to visit the set of General Hospital. I think he heard me say, ‘This is so much fun. I miss being on the set.’ He goes, ‘You should come out. I’ll bring you on the show. We can make you a character.'”

A few years later, Patrick’s dream became a reality! “Then, by the summer of 2018, I was playing Wyatt, the scout, and shared scenes with Wes Ramsey (Peter August), and the best was when I shared a scene with Roger Howarth and Michael Easton (ex-John, OLTL and ex-Silas, Finn et al, GH), it was like chemistry from the old days.”

Photo: PGibbons

IT’S ALL IN THE NUMBERS

As to his future aspirations, it’s a career in the finance game that has piqued Gibbons’ real-life interest. But never say never to a return to acting. Patrick explained, “I’ve always enjoyed numbers. And on top of that, one of the biggest parts of finance is being personable and outgoing.”

He continued, “That’s one of the greatest skills I developed growing up. I really love the markets. I’m super interested. I’m never going to close the door to acting. I’m always open to that because I just love it so much. It’s such a great art.”

Take note! If there are any investment bankers or private equity folks among the GH faithful looking for a young analyst next year, Patrick’s DMs are open. You can find him on X at @PatrickJGibbons.

So, what did you think of the song sung by Trina on today’s GH that was written by Patrick J. Gibbons? Did you enjoy Patrick’s performances as One Life’s Sam and GH’s Wyatt? Would you like to see him back on GH at some point? Let us know via the comment section.

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Jonathan Bennett joins the cast of GH as Joe Fitzpatrick. Catch the latest promo! Leave a comment.Leave A Comment

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