Esther Anderson has shared a heartbreaking tribute to her former co-star Johnny Wactor after he was shot and killed in Los Angeles on Saturday when he confronted thieves breaking into his car.
Wactor, 37, appeared in 164 episodes of the soap opera General Hospital from 2020 to 2022 and was fatally shot while armed car thieves tried to steal his catalytic converter.
Taking to Instagram, Anderson penned a heartfelt message to the actor, who she starred alongside in the 2013 television show Siberia.
‘Gone way too soon Johnny,’ the Home and Away star, 44, wrote alongside a selfie of the pair.
‘You will be missed by so many.. My heart is broken for your family. RIP.’
Esther Anderson (left) has shared a heartbreaking tribute to her former co-star Johnny Wactor (right) after he was shot and killed in Los Angeles on Saturday
Taking to Instagram, Anderson penned a heartfelt message to the actor, who she starred alongside in the 2013 television show Siberia
Reposting her co-star Anne-Marie Mueschke’s photo, the tribute continued: ‘The world lost a genuinely bright light yesterday in the senseless murder of Johnny. He was such a funny, genuine guy and I’m so glad I got to know him.
‘Feeling especially close to my Siberia family today.’
Wactor was leaving his side job at a rooftop bar with a female colleague at around 3:25am Saturday in the area of West Pico Boulevard and South Hope Street, when he saw the three men, believing he was being towed.
Since the incident, police said that one of the three men, all of whom were wearing masks, shot Wactor before fleeing in a separate vehicle.
Paramedics got to the scene shortly after and took him to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The masked suspects remain at large and have yet to be identified or described.
Scarlett Wactor, Johnny’s mother, said that her son didn’t attempt to fight them or even stop them from stealing but they still shot him and got away.
Actor Johnny Wactor was a ‘southern gentleman’ who was protecting a female co-worker from the armed thieves who fatally shot him Saturday, his brother Grant told DailyMail.com
Wactor, 37, was leaving his job at a rooftop bar with a co-worker in the early hours of Saturday morning when he saw three men attempting to steal his catalytic converter
Johnny’s younger brother Grant confirmed to DailyMail.com that Johnny was shot in the chest as he came upon the suspects who were trying to steal the catalytic converter from his truck.
He said his brother and his co-worker had to park about two blocks from the restaurant, so they were walking to their cars after they finished their shift.
Grant said they were brought up as ‘Southern gentlemen,’ so he was not surprised his older brother was walking his female co-worker to her car.
‘We’re Southern, born and raised, and we would never let a female walk to their car by herself.’
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EXCLUSIVE
General Hospital star Johnny Wactor's brave final act revealed: Actor, 37, was shielding female co-worker from armed car thieves when he was shot dead
The Los Angeles Police Department says it does not release the names of victims.
DailyMail.com has reached out to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office for comment.
Wactor appeared on over 160 episodes of General Hospital as the character Brando Corbin from 2020 to 2022.
The actor was also a series regular on the 2013 NBC drama series Siberia, which lasted 11 episodes.
He did multi-episode arcs on TV shows like The OA, The Passenger, Westworld and Hollywood Girl.
His first break into television came in a three-episode guest role on the Lifetime series Army Wives.
He had also branched out into producing; his IMDb page has three upcoming projects listed. Wactor also wrote a short film called Broken Riders.
Wactor’s most recent work was in the horror anthology Dead Talk Tales: Volume I released earlier this year.
Personally, his Instagram page often showed him engaging in extreme sports like rock climbing.
According to the LAPD, the shooting happened at 3 a.m. Saturday in the area of West Pico Boulevard and South Hope Street
He is survived by his mother Scarlett and brothers Lance and Grant.
Wactor’s mother described him as a loving young man whose death leaves a hole in his family’s heart, per TMZ.
Co-workers have also begun giving their thoughts on the loss of the young actor.
Perry Shen, a co-star on General Hospital, posted a beautiful remembrance of Wactor on X.
‘Johnny Wactor was a beautiful, beautiful soul. So talented. As you can see from the promo clip, always up for anything. Funny as all heck. Fit as all hell but also loved ice cream and ate all the junk I did as well,’ Shen wrote.
Wactor appeared in over 160 episodes of General Hospital as the character Brando Corbin from 2020 to 2022
‘We all were cheated of many years with him.’
‘When the tears slow down, I am literally sick to my stomach at this news,’ wrote co-star Jon Lindstrom.
‘Johnny was one of those rare young men in this business who was kind, unassuming, humble, and always thought about other people. A talented young guy who just wanted to share that talent with the world.’
‘I wish I had enough love to fill the hole that his loved ones must feel right now, but I know that’s impossible. Johnny will be missed on this plane. For a long time to come. R.I.P.’
Wactor’s mother described him as a loving young man whose death leaves a hole in his family’s heart
The actor was also a series regular on the 2013 drama series Siberia, which lasted 11 episodes