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Post by Scumhunter on Nov 21, 2020 16:16:45 GMT -5
Lance Heflin, one of the first ever executive producers of America's Most Wanted (and I believe longest-tenured), and who also executive produced AMW: Final Justice has passed away at age 67 after a brief hospital stay. Really sad as that's a relatively young age to die these days, but I'm forever grateful for his efforts in helping to further AMW and John Walsh's success a year or so after their original Executive Producer (Michael Linder) left the show. There's also a public Facebook group in his memory so glad to see happy memories will be shared as well. variety.com/2020/tv/obituaries-people-news/lance-heflin-dead-americas-most-wanted-1234837415/www.facebook.com/groups/lanceheflin
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Post by Scumhunter on Nov 21, 2020 16:18:47 GMT -5
Also I hate that we constantly have to bring it up every time someone passes away now but Patrick Heflin (who I'm assuming is Lance's son), mentioned in the group that Lance's passing is not related to Covid-19
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Post by 912thamwuser on Nov 21, 2020 21:24:48 GMT -5
Besides capturing the bulk of AMW's roster and recovering almost half of the missing children and persons, I was also impressed with Heflin's work in, as the article explains, exposing the failures of some programs that were meant to help various underserved subcommunities across Miami.
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Post by HeadMarshal on Nov 21, 2020 22:58:39 GMT -5
I appreciate Lance's contribution to making most of AMW's accomplishments possible. The show wouldn't have worked as well as it did without the right executive producer. May he rest in piece.
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Post by pakman on Nov 22, 2020 10:25:18 GMT -5
John Walsh may have been the face of AMW, but the show wouldn't have been what it was without Lance Heflin. Lance made sure the show got done every single week. From some behind-the-scenes clips of the show featuring him, it's clear that he was a serious boss, but a fair boss, and who knew how to tell stories of victims, fugitives and missing persons. Typically executive producers are a "hands-off" role for TV shows, generally just signing off on scripts and being the head person in charge, but Lance was not that type of executive producer. He cared so much about the show and wanted to make it perfect and to serve its purpose - to find fugitives and to locate missing persons and to help victims receive justice. Thank you, Lance, for all you did for AMW, and for so many others. Rest in peace.
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Post by ninja108 on Nov 23, 2020 18:36:47 GMT -5
There would be no AMW without Lance's efforts. RIP.
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Post by Scumhunter on Nov 23, 2020 19:43:28 GMT -5
The funny thing- I'm admitting to a mistake likely no one noticed and I can get away with this but I'm admitting this anyway since I feel it adds to the conversation lol- but I mistakenly thought Heflin was AMW's first ever EIC because he was around the show so long and initially accidentally referred to him as such before realizing Michael Linder was the creator/first EIC and I had to edit my original post. But Linder left the show after only a year and Heflin was there for two decades.
Taking nothing away from Linder who should always get credit for setting the ball in motion and not be unappreciated at all, it does feel like it was Heflin who helped the show reach even more new heights.
Not to mention, it was Heflin who helped reformat AMW to the even more successful AMW: America Fights Back after the show's first cancellation.
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