RIP Anthony Herrera

[MickeyMac]

Anthony Herrera, best known in daytime as ATWT's fan-favorite, James Stenbeck, died in Buenos Aires, Argentina on June 21. The Mississippi native, who was diagnosed with a rare form of lymphoma in 1997 and was in remission for 10 years, wrote The Cancer War (www.thecancerwar.com). He made his last Oakdale appearance in August, 2010, shortly before the show went off the air

[80sTrivia]

So sad to hear. He will go down in history as one of televisions all-time greatest villains as James Stenbeck. He will certainly be missed...

[Zoneboy]

I was going to post this myself but have been unable to find a reliable source.

[Mr. Television]

http://www.examiner.com/soap-opera-i...away-argentina

As the World Turns star, Anthony Herrera, passes away in Argentina

* June 29, 2011 11:37 pm PT



As the World Turns fans are mourning the news announced on Wednesday that Anthony Herrera, who played villainous character James Stenbeck on the soap, passed away on June 21 in Buenos Aries, Argentina. Herrera originated the role of James Stenbeck in 1980 and continued playing him off and on for 30 years.

Samantha Hix, Riverside resident and long-time viewer of As the World Turns, which ended its 54-year-run in September of 2010, shared with me her sadness at the news of Herrera's passing. "There was never a character you could love to hate more than James Stenbeck. I was always inspired by Anthony Herrera's brave fight with cancer, and I'm saddened that he didn't win."

Herrera was diagnosed with mantle cell lymphoma in 1997, an aggressive and usually fatal form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. He underwent an autologous stem cell transplant at Sloan-Kettering in 1999 and was in remission for 18 months. After a relapse, he underwent a donor stem cell transplant from his brother John in 2004, a procedure that made medical history in the treatment of lymphoma.

Herrera wrote a book about his experiences titled The Cancer War, which can be downloaded for free. He was also a tireless advocate for stem cell research, testifying for Senator Arlen Specter in 2005 on the importance of the Federal Government's support.
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Fellow actors and fans alike have been taking to Twitter and Facebook all day to express their condolences. Former co-star Martha Byrne (Lily Walsh Snyder) Tweeted, "RIP Anthony Herrera...so many great memories....." Another co-star, Sarah Joy Brown (Julia Larrabee) also expressed sadness, Tweeting, "Had the pleasure of sharing a car with Mr. Anthony Herrera during our days in Brooklyn @#ATWT. He told great stories. He was fascinating RIP."

No word yet on plans for a stateside memorial, but we will update this story when more news becomes available.

[Zoneboy]

Originally Posted by Stuck In The '70's

http://www.examiner.com/soap-opera-i...away-argentina

That's the only source I could find and they've dropped the ball too soon on more than one celebrity passing.

[Mr. Television]

Originally Posted by Zoneboy

That's the only source I could find and they've dropped the ball too soon on more than one celebrity passing.

Yea I probably wouldn't have posted it but some of his former cast is quoted in it so it looks legit. Maybe because he died in Argentina, it's taking awhile to get to the major papers.

[catlover79]

Michael Fairman's soap website is a very legit source, so here's what's posted there:

http://michaelfairmansoaps.com/news/...ay/2011/06/29/

BREAKING NEWS: ATWT’s Anthony Herrera has passed away

Very sad news to report tonight. Over the last several hours reports have been coming in while there has been an outpouring of comments by fans all over the Internet on the news that As the World Turns Anthony Herrera who played the former soaps all-time super villain, James Stenbeck, has passed away in Buenos Aires, Argentina on June 21, 2011.

In January 1997, Herrera was diagnosed with a rare and usually fatal lymphoma. He underwent an autologous stem cell transplant at Sloan-Kettering and a donor transplant at MD Anderson Cancer Center, which made medical history. In remission for 10 years, he wrote “The Cancer War”, www.thecancerwar.com. In October of 2005 Anthony testified for Senator Arlen Specter on stem cell research. He gave a lecture on “The Human Spirit” at MD Anderson, Sloan Kettering, and St. Jude’s in Memphis, TN. It can be viewed on www.anthonyherrera.org.

Herrera’s former co-star, Martha Byrne (Ex-Lily) took to twitter tonight to voice her sadness at the news tweeting, “RIP Anthony Herrera…so many great memories…. He loved that dog pictured with him on Facebook….He died in a place he loved…God Bless…. He wrote the book The Cancer War...please read it if you can. It would make him so happy….he fought that and won many times.”

It seems so parallel in some ways that Herrera, whose Stenbeck came back from the dead over and over in Oakdale, did so in real life coming back several times from cancer. On-Air On-Soaps sends are thoughts and prayers to the Herrera family, and to all of ATWT fans who loved his tremendous portrayal that scared the living daylights out of the townfolk of Oakdale.

We will continue to follow this story in the coming days. But for now, watch below a promo clip of Herrera in action as James Stenbeck as he takes a look at how to avoid being murdered on a soap.

[catlover79]

No one could say "Hello, Barbara" like him!!

[catlover79]