‘When Calls the Heart’ Stars Mourn Death of Colleague: ‘Gift to Humanity’

Hallmark producers and stars are mourning the death of a “When Calls the Heart” colleague. Neill Fearnley, a prolific director who was part of the Hearties family since season 1, died on July 13.

Brian Bird, executive producer and co-creator for “When Calls the Heart,” posted about Fearnley’s death on Facebook. He said that Fearnley had been involved with 10 seasons of the series, starting with the very first season. He was a “gift to humanity,” Bird wrote.

Stars of the series shared their own words of mourning, including Pascale Hutton (Rosemary) who revealed that Fearnley was the second director to hire her after she graduated from theater school.

Neill Fearnley Died of ALS

In a Facebook post, the family revealed that Fearnley died after four years fighting ALS. ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.) ALS (once referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that causes motor neurons to degenerate and die, according to the ALS Association. It may begin with a gradual onset, like trouble lifting a cup, and progress into muscle weakness and paralysis over time.

Bird wrote on Facebook: “Neill was there for the first season of When Calls the Heart, directing episodes across the first 10 seasons and helped us create our story-telling world. He was a gift to Hope Valley and a gift to humanity. His generous heart and brilliant mind will be deeply missed.”

Fearnley was a prolific Hallmark director. He directed 47 episodes of “When Calls the Heart,” according to IMDb. He also directed one “Ruby Herring Mystery” movie, eight episodes of “Garage Sale Mysteries,” “The Wedding March,” “Autumn Dreams,” eight episodes of “Cedar Cove,” “A Gift of Miracles,” and more.

Pascale Hutton Said Fearnley ‘Loved Directing’ & Impacted Her Life

Hallmark stars, including from “When Calls the Heart,” are sharing stories about Fearnley and how much they miss him.

Pascale Hutton (Rosemary) shared an Instagram Story with a video of Fearnley when he visited the set. She simply wrote, “Neill ❤️.”

Hutton also wrote a long tribute to Fearnley, sharing that he was the second director who hired her after she finished theatre school.

“He loved directing and being on set, he loved diving into the weeds on meaty two-hander scenes, he was sharp and witty, had a keen ear for grammatical errors, wild eyebrows (recently groomed), and an openness to listening to other interpretations,” she wrote. “I remember him saying to me multiple times ‘of course you did that intentionally- After all these years, I don’t know why I even question you!’”

“I will miss you,” Hutton added at the end of her tribute to Fearnley.

Ben Rosenbaum, who plays Mike Higgins on “When Calls the Heart,” shared a photo of himself with Fearnley and wrote, “Remembering Neill, taken too soon and sorely missed. This 👁️🎥👁️ photo was taken by @erinkrakow from her POV as we filmed the first scene I ever did on @wcth_tv in S1. He was my first director on the show and I will always be grateful for the supportive way he welcomed me into Hope Valley: with a spirit of fun and great care for the work.”

On her Instagram Story, Hallmark star Lisa Durupt wrote, “One of the kindest people in this business. Grateful to have known you my friend. Xo.”

Actor Garry Chalk, who has starred in Hallmark movies like “Curious Caterer,” wrote: “A marvellous human being taken away too soon. Did my first project with Neill in Alberta called Hamilton’s Quest. Great director great man. He will be missed. RIP neill I have no words except you left a great legacy behind.”

A funeral for Fearnley will take place on July 27 in Calgary, Canada, according to his obituary.

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