‘General Hospital’ Actor Tyler Christopher Dies at Age 50: “A Sweet Soul and Wonderful Friend”
Christopher was best known for his roles on GH and 'Days of Our Lives,' for which he earned 5 Emmy's
Tyler Christopher, the 5-time-Emmy-winning actor who appeared regularly in the daytime soap opera “General Hospital,” died on Oct. 31 of a “cardiac event.” He was 50.
Maurice Benard, who appeared alongside Christopher on the series, confirmed the news of his death with a post shared to his Instagram page:
Benard noted that “Tyler was a truly talented individual that lit up the screen in every scene he performed and relished bringing joy to his loyal fans through his acting. Tyler was a sweet soul and wonderful friend to all of those who knew him.”
He continued: “Tyler was an advocate for better mental health and substance use treatment who openly spoke about his struggles with bipolar depression and alcohol. We are beyond devastated by the loss of our dear friend and pray for his children and his father.”
Christopher joined the cast of GH as Nikolas Cassadine in April 1996 and during his time with the soap received four Daytime Emmy Award nominations, taking home Outstanding Lead Actor in 2016. After his final appearance as Nikolas in June 2016, Christopher joined the cast of Days of Our Lives in the newly created role of Stefan DiMera. He debuted in December 2017, and last aired in March 2019, earning another Daytime Emmy nomination in 2019 for Lead Actor.
Christopher wrote about his mental health challenges and struggles with alcohol abuse in Reader’s Digest. He spoke about the importance of seeing a counselor or psychiatrist in person.
In post on Facebook last year, he reflected on how far he had come since turning 40: “I won an Emmy, was the lead actor in 4 television shows, completed a dozen movies, lived in a half dozen states, relapsed and recovered, survived a traumatic brain injury and pandemic, became single again, lost some friends and family, found my savior, embraced God’s will for me, and learned to be content living a quieter life.”
Christopher has two children with his ex-wife, Brienne Pedigo: a son, Greyson, and a daughter, Boheme. We send our hearts out to his family and friends.
For more on General Hospital stars:
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