Michael Easton, who often is a man of few words on General Hospital, had a lot to say at the Daytime Stands Up: A Benefit for Stand Up To Cancer — We All Have a Story event. He spoke from the heart about his former co-star, friend, and soap alum Kamar de los Reyes, giving him a fitting memorial.
Praise Captured the Essence of de los Reyes
As the Chief of Infectious Diseases at General Hospital, Dr. Hamilton Finn has dealt with more than his share of tragic circumstances with patients. Likewise, his portrayer Michael Easton spoke out about a real-life tragedy that affected him deeply. Powerhouse soap stars like Eric Braeden (Victor, The Young and the Restless), Kin Shriner (Scotty, GH), Don Diamont (Bill, The Bold and the Beautiful), and Eric Martsolf (Brady, Days of Our Lives), among several others, were on hand for the Daytime Stands Up: A Benefit for Stand Up To Cancer live streaming event on May 16.
Easton was among them, and when he spoke, he talked about his former castmate on One Life to Live, and best friend, Kamar de los Reyes (Antonio), whose death from cancer at age 56 in December 2023 affected him deeply. In the video, which was live on YouTube, Easton explained that they had been friends for 30 years, ever since working together on the film Coldfire in 1990. “I was scared, and I was quiet, and I was instantly drawn to his bravado and his sense of himself,” he said, adding, “Kamar was larger than life. He was the best man at my wedding, and I am the godfather to his son, Michael. His loss was profound on all of us.”
He has continually kept de los Reyes and his family in his thoughts and praised the actor’s skill, remarking, “He loved being an actor, and he was a great actor. I always like to say Kamar was such a good actor that they cast him as a priest, not just once, not twice, like seven times.” Easton hilariously added, “I mean, he was often shirtless. But, if you needed a shirtless priest, Kamar was your guy.”
He Shared Personal Details About de los Reyes’ Last Days
When the time finally came for his friend to leave this mortal coil, Easton shared touching details, noting, “I was holding his hand when he passed, and he was surrounded by family and, and friends. There was so much love around him. I mean, he touched so many lives.” He further explained that the line for de los Reyes’ funeral was so long that it went outside, and even people he hadn’t spoken to in over two decades attended. “That was the effect. So many of the One Life cast members came and cast [members] from All American,” which is a show about high school football that de los Reyes was in.
Easton further remarked, “Extraordinarily enough, he went to work two weeks before he passed at All American. He was fierce to the end. He never talked about being sick.” The actor lastly explained that despite his friend being in a situation that he knew he was going to lose, “I was in awe of his strength and his resolve. I would’ve shut down long before he did.”
Share this: