Fond Farewell

"I was in shock when I heard. That one caught me really by surprise. I was deeply saddened. People don't know but Stuart was one of my biggest advocates. He would always say to people when I was Jason Quartermaine, 'Man, you've got to give this kid more to do. You've got to help him out.' He would say that publicly to people like the vice president of Daytime at the time and the writers. I've always wanted to pay him back for that somehow. I really appreciate everything he's done for me.

The Quartermaine's were a big part of my life when I first got on the show. It was a great part of my life, because I had great stuff with Leslie Charleson and Stuart. It just hurts. It's kind of like a piece of me is...You know, when a good friend like that leaves the show, even though I don't work with him a lot, there's still that emotional connection that you have. I get emotional just talking about it. Right now, I try not to think about it until the day he goes.

Stuart is a guy that loves to act. That's what he's going to miss most..the people and just coming to work. I've known the guy for so long and I don't even know what to say. What can you say? I do want to thank Stuart for being an advocate of mine from day one and for supporting me, not only privately but also publicly to the powers that be. We've been through a lot of things in our lives that are similar, and I just really appreciate him being there for me. I thank him for everything he's done . I love him."