Love Letters To Michael

Love Letters To Michael Zaslow
Soap Opera News, February 16, 1999

"This is our love letter to Michael," said Brynn Thayer (ex-Jenny, One Life To Live) on the evening of the long-planned performance of "Love Letters", a benefit to defeat ALS, the disease that took Michael Zaslow's life last December. The performance starred Zaslow's friends Kim Zimmer (Reva, Guiding Light) and Alec Baldwin.

Of course, when the gala event at Broadway's Golden Theater was planned, those plans included Zaslow. Instead, he was in everyone's thoughts. A portrait of the Emmy-winning actor stood at the side of the stage.

"He's whispering in my ear every minute, 'Doing the right thing, keep going, you're doing great," said Susan Hufford, Zaslow's widow. "When Michael died so unexpectedly, several close friends said, 'Susan, please, can't you postpone this?' But it never occurred to me even for a minute. Because the show must go on. It must. Especially this ALS show."

Zimmer, carrying a bouquet and siging autographs for fans after the show, smiled when she thought of Zaslow. If he were there, Zimmer said, "He'd be laughing at me right now. And I'd ask him, 'So how'd I do?' And 'When are we doing it together?' But we probably would've been doing it together, if we had a choice."

--William Heller.

'I Felt Awkward About Filling In For Him,' Confides Zaslow's GL Replacement
Soap Opera News, February 16, 1999

Actor Dennis Parlato, who took over as GL's Roger Thorpe when Zaslow was asked to take a leave of absence, felt an inner obligation to attend the benefit. "I didn't know Michael personally, but I was deeply inspired by the way he dealt with this disease," he told SON.

"I felt awkward about filling in for him," Parlato revealed. "But I wrote to him and said I hoped he was back in three months. He responded through Maureen [Garrett, Holly]. He said he was very, very appreciative of that. I think it was right to not continue having me play the character. It's Michael's role and always will be."

"I guess that's also why I'm here -- because I briefly played the character he played for so many years. It's paradoxical. I've always regarded Roger as his character and always will. Yet somehow I played it. It's a very weird, surrealistic thing."

--William Heller.