If you, like me, grew up watching One Life to Live, you fondly remember the Buchanans: Asa and his sons Clint and Bo. The wonderful, wonderful actors who portrayed Asa (Phil Carey) and Clint (Clint Ritchie) each passed away within the past few weeks. Clint Ritchie died from a heart attack the last of January and Phil Carey passed away this past weekend.
Clint Richie
Clint Richie played Clint Buchanan (love interest to the shows heroine, Vicki) on One Life to Live for over 20 years. He was a real cowboy as well as one on the show, with a strong love for horses.
Clint had suffered a heart attack in late January and had to have surgery. A pacemaker was implanted but, unfortunately, a blood clot formed and he died in his sleep on January 31. He had never married and didn’t have any children.
In addition to OLTL, Clint Richie appeared on television’s Wild, Wild West, The Centennial, Dallas, and Batman (he played one of The Joker’s henchmen, Boff!)
Clint Richie was 70.
Phil Carey
Phil Carey created, in Asa Buchanan, one of the most popular and beloved characters on all of daytime…ever. Asa was somewhat of an evil man, but Phil Carey’s portrayal was so brilliant that you often found yourself cheering him on!
Before finding fame on OLTL, Phil Carey appeared on Gunsmoke, Ironside, Little House on the Prairie, Police Woman, and Bionic Woman – among others. He was also a powerful stage actor.
Phil Carey had been diagnosed with lung cancer in 2006 and underwent chemotherapy.
One of my favorite daytime actors ever, Timothy D. Stickney (RJ Gannon, OLTL) had the following to say about Phil Carey: “He was a very kind and considerate man. Always aware of the others feelings. NOT like Asa at all in that respect. I grew to like him as much as I respected him. A good man from a time when not all were as open and respectful toward others.”
Phil Carey is survived by a wife and five children. He was 83.
Rest in peace, cowboys. Daytime television hasn’t been the same without ya’ll.
