Soap legend David Canary, who won five Daytime Emmy Awards for playing All My Children twins Adam and Stuart Chandler, died on Nov. 16 of natural causes. He was 77.
Canary was primarily a theater actor before breaking into TV in the ’60s, first as Mia Farrow’s physical therapist in Peyton Place and next as Ponderosa ranch foreman Candy Canaday in Bonanza. In 1978, he kicked off his daytime soap career with a role on Search for Tomorrow. He followed that up with stints on The Doctors and Another World, before kicking off his 27-year run on All My Children in 1983.
Canary left AMC — and the acting profession — in 2010, although he returned to the soap in 2011 for a few series-ending episodes.
A memorial tribute will be held at a later date.
Many of Canary’s former AMC co-stars took to social media on Tuesday to pay their respects.
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So sad to learn of the passing of the great David Canary. A incredibly talented actor. A wonderful man. I was lucky to know you.
— Kelly Ripa (@KellyRipa) November 24, 2015
#rip #DavidCanary You were the epitome of class. It was a joy and an honor to call you a colleague. #AllMyChildren
— Sarah Michelle (@SarahMGellar) November 24, 2015
https://twitter.com/Jacob_W_Young/status/669311494111305728
How did they keep this a secret for over a week?
RIGHT?
He was retired and off the public radar.
Agreed! How was this not a bigger deal?????
As a LITTLE child I had a huge crush on “Candy” from the Bonanza series…then YEARS later I had a terrible crush on “Adam/Stuart” on AMC…I just thought EVERYONE appreciated him the way I did….
Oh how sad. I loved Canary on AMC, as Adam and Stuart.
One of the most legendary actors in the history of daytime soaps. RIP David Canary :-(
Stunning. He was an amazing actor.
I’m old enough to remember him when he played on the old TV show Bonanza as a hired hand on the ranch. Great actor. RIP.
I’m so sad to hear the news. David was one of my favorites on AMC. He brought such excitement to the show sparring with Palmer, Tad and Erica. Some of his scenes with Susan Lucci were comedic gold. My condolences to his family.
He was so fun to watch in both AMC roles – He will be missed
He was a terrific soap actor! Sad that he’s gone.
Close to, if not, the finest male actor to grace the soap genre. DESPISED the character of Adam Chandler but David’s talent is absolutely bulletproof in my book.
Agreed.
Awww – this sad to hear. He was such a great actor.
One of the best actors in daytime history RIP
What an amazing actor. Rest in Peace.
I remember him from Bonanza Another World and AMC He was a great actor in all 3. But in AMC he came into his own, He played a great villain as Adam and a great person in Stuart. I have watched several actors playing dual roles but Canary was by far the best. My condolences to his family and friends
Rest in peace you magnificent actor. I loved Adam Chandler for years.
My condolences to the canary family he was talented and amazing actor R.I.P DAVID CANARY ❤ YOU WILL BE MISS…
Wow, what a brilliant actor he was on All My Children! That was the only daytime tv that I ever watched and he was the reason! You will be missed! Bless!
Loved him. He played two polar opposites totally believably. Was just thinkin about him and now this :(
He was such a joy to love/hate on the screen. R.I.P Mr Canary.
I’d like to know the same thing why was his death kept silent. Great actor
Rest in peace. He was terrific on All My Children. My condolences to his family
How sad! He played such a delicious villain (Adam) -and such a sweet mentally challenged brother (Adam) just as convincingly. Had he been ill? 77 isn’t that old these days. Very sad news.
I rather enjoyed the span I watched AMC, especially because of David Canary. He played the first set of “soap twins” I’d ever encountered, and the way Adam’s machinations and Stuart’s kindness affected the characters around him kept me engrossed in Pine Valley each weekday. I hope he was surrounded by great individuals whom he cared for and who cared for him, especially in his final days.
Omg .. This is so sad. Adam /Stuart Chandler .
One of a kind .. Very sad day.
Been a fan since the beginning
Sympathy to his family and friends
This makes me so sad. I watched him on AMC from the time I was about 10 years old. Such a great actor!
RIP David Canary aka Adam & Stuart Chandler. prayers to the family and friends.
Too bad. When I was in high school, my girlfriend and I would go to her house and watch the show every day after school…and I watched for a good while longer after we broke up. Then I saw him on a bunch of Bonanza reruns, too. Great, fun actor who looked like he was genuinely enjoying his job. RIP.
One of my favorites on AMC…RIP David. Condolences to his family.
I am gutted.. i loved him so much as im sure most of the people who had seen David Canary in any scene on AMC. He was riveting. RIP
David Canary was marvelous in both roles, as Adam Chandler and Stuart Chandler. He would so good, he could play Adam impersonating Stuart, and Stuart impersonating Adam, and still keep straight the personalities (although Stuart had a “tell” — he often wore sweaters with the left shirt collar peeking out.
So sad to hear. Love to his family.
So sad
My heart breaks with this news. I have had a crush on him since Bonanza. He had that dark hair and those eyes and smile. Oh gosh, then as Adam and Stuart, I watched that show for the whole time it was on the air, never missed an episode. This is such a sad day. My silver fox is charming the angels now.
One of the greatest daytime soap actors. I thoroughly enjoyed watching him on AMC.
May he rest in peace, a great actor and a legend.
So sorry to see a great man go I used to enjoy his role on Bonanza as Candy. and I so happy when he started on my favorite soap. His performance as both Adam and Staurt was just wonderful. You will be missed David RIP
Rest in peace, sir.
Oh wow… I watched AMC since I was a kid and had to either watch it with my grandmother or take a nap… I watched the shows on VCR with my mother after school was out and she came home from work… I watched AMC in college scheduling all of my classes around the 1 o’clock our… I watched it on the dvr when I got home from work and finally I watched it on HULU when it was taken off of ABC… He will be missed…
very very sad to hear this news. I watched All My Children from the time he started on the show. He was a fabulous actor. RIP
R.I.P David Canary. I grew up watching him with my grandmother.
A terrific actor who had a great reputation! I remember him from Bananza and I thought he was brilliant as Adam & Stuart. RIP David.
RIP
There’s a reason he won five Emmys. I remember growing up not realizing it was the same person playing Adam and Stuart, he was THAT amazing. In a genre where an actor playing multiple roles on the same show is almost standard fare, he (along with probably Erika Slezak) did it better than anyone.
Stuart was one of my favorite soap characters of all time.
Sad to hear, remember him from Bonanza.
R.I.P
RIP
How terribly sad. RIP David Canary. Surely one of the greatest actors in Daytime history. A true legend. Adam Chandler is one of my favorite soap characters of all time. Mr Canary gave truly amazing performances as both Adam and Stuart. This was the best dual role performance ever in a genre littered with them. And by all accounts, he was a truly kind gentleman. He will be deeply missed.
Wouldn’t it be nice to go back to Pine Valley to pay our respects? For those of who loved AMC, isn’t it like we’ve lost a friend? Goes to show how much he mattered, that we’re all feeling his loss so personally. Sympathy to his family and his AMC family as well.
I agree Cindy, it would be nice to visit Pine Valley and say good bye. The show was a big part of my youth and David Canary was one of the best! I miss them! The holiday shows were always fun too! Celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Year’s with all of Pine Valley!!
I use to have a crush on him when he played on Bonanza another son of Ben’s Cartwright …
not sure what the deal was, but I remember him then as I do on the soap..
Indeed, that’s the first time I saw David Canary – on Bonanza near the end of it’s long run. I was a young boy at the time and wasn’t around for the early years of Bonanza, but DC was really good, even way back on Bonanza circa early ’70s (’72-73?) If my memory serves me, I recall Michael Landon was getting ready to leave the series at that stage, and the show was looking for some young guns to replace him – Canary was one of those chosen.
Good man, and I’ve enjoyed seeing him do so well on daytime TV over the decades, always remembering his days on Bonanza and the transformation he made as an actor from cowboy on Bonanza to star power on daytime TV.
RIP David Canary.
Thank you David Canary for I have been your fan since back in the days you played on Bonanza and was happy to see you playing Adam/Stuart. You were a great Actor and you will be greatly missed. My condolences to his family and friends,May you David Canary R.I.P. in the loving arms of our Heavenly Father……….. You are now shining bright among stars!