The personification of Delaware County, Aunt Mary Pat, is stepping down from live performances, the character’s creator, Troy Hendrickson, announced.

The comedic character, created in 2018 as a loving tribute to the Eagles and Hendrickson’s mother, has generated a huge following over the years, writes TaRhonda Thomas for 6abc.

Hendrickson talked about Aunt Mary Pat’s origins.

“It was right after the Super Bowl when the Eagles won. It was just a conversation with my mom. And I thought, ‘This is gold,'” he said.

A video he posted to Facebook he thought would die out in a week grew by tens of thousands of views each day.

It’s been five years and it’s taken Hendrickson from an office job to country-wide tours before more than 100,000 people.  

Now, Aunt Mary Pat is stepping back, limiting her time to social media, videos, and music. Her “clocking out” farewell tour runs March through June.

Hendrickson said he has been overbooked and overworked, and has struggled with depression and anxiety in the interim.

“When you’re a character, people treat you as such. I think that was the biggest struggle for me. Sometimes I didn’t feel like a real person.”

Read more about Troy Hendrickson and his decision to stop live performances of his Aunt Mary Pat character at 6abc.