General Hospital star Tyler Christopher has died at the age of 50, according to his costar.
The show’s Maurice Benard said on Instagram Tuesday: ‘It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of Tyler Christopher. Tyler passed away this morning following a cardiac event in his San Diego apartment.
Christopher was married to Desperate Housewives alum Eva Longoria from 2002 to 2004.
‘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,’ Benard said on the social media site. ‘Tyler was a sweet soul and wonderful friend to all of those who knew him.’
Benard said that his late colleague ‘was an advocate for better mental health and substance use treatment who openly spoke about his struggles with bipolar depression and alcohol,’ adding, ‘We are beyond devastated by the loss of our dear friend and pray for his children and his father.’
The latest: General Hospital star Tyler Christopher has died at the age of 50, according to his costar. Pictured in 2018 in LA
Christopher and ex-wife Eva Longoria were pictured at the 29th annual Daytime Emmy Awards in NYC in May of 2022
Christopher’s representative Chi Muoi Lo also confirmed the actor’s death in a statement to CNN.
‘This news was incredibly shocking, and I am devastated by his loss,’ the actor’s rep said. ‘He was a very gifted actor, and more importantly, an amazing friend. My heart goes out to his friends and family who loved him so much.’
The actor played the role of Nikolas Cassadine on 1,153 episodes of General Hospital from 1996 to 2016. For his work on the series, he earned four daytime Emmy nominations and in 2016, he won the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.
In the years following, he portrayed Stefan DiMera on 159 episodes of another stalwart soap in Days of Our Lives, from 2018 to 2019.
In his personal life, Christopher was twice married: to Longoria, and to one-time ESPN personality Brienne Pedigo from 2008 thru 2021.
He and Pedigo welcomed two children – a son Greysun James, 10, and a 4-year-old daughter, Boheme.
The actor had been plagued by legal problems involving alcohol in recent years: He was arrested six months ago after passing out drunk at an LA airport, which marked his second public intoxication arrest in three years.
Christopher was found on the floor fast asleep at Burbank Airport in Los Angeles on May 26, when police were alerted to the snoozing soap star and woke him, according to TMZ.
The show’s Maurice Benard announced the tragic news on Instagram Tuesday
The former couple was pictured at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood, California in 2002
Christopher and Longoria were pictured at an event in 2003, a year before their split
Christopher told the authorities he had missed his flight before he was handcuffed and booked for public intoxication.
The authorities said Christopher displayed clear signs of being intoxicated and that he was ‘unable to care for himself,’ as per the news outlet. He was released shortly after his arrest and given a court date, the news outlet reported.
In November 2019, Christopher was arrested for public intoxication in his hometown of Martinsville, Indiana, forcing him to spend his 47th birthday behind bars, TMZ reported.
In an incident on November 11, 2019, an Uber driver had alerted officers to Christopher’s behavior after he allegedly passed out and urinated on himself after he’d been dropped off at his home. He had 2 fifths of bourbon on her person at the time, according to the outlet.
Authorities said in legal docs reviews by the outlet that police had taken nine reports in connection with Christopher’s drunken behavior in the two-month span beginning September 14.
In one incident November 8, 2019 at a Walgreens, a person reported that Christopher had been trying to get inside of their vehicle. Police who detained the actor said that he had sported possible head injuries as he had been bleeding from his nose and urinated in his pants.
In 2022, Christopher appeared on the mental health podcast State of Mind, with host and former General Hospital castmate Maurice Bernard’s, aka Sonny, as per Soaps.
During the episode, he spoke openly about his alcohol addiction and having his first drink at age nine.
Tyler Christopher earned four Daytime Emmy nominations and in 2016 won the award for ‘Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series,’ after playing the role of Nikolas Cassadine for nearly two decades. Pictured in LA in 2016
Christopher in a 2010 scene with actress Rebecca Herbst (Elizabeth) during their days together on the long-running soap General Hospital
Christopher spoke with Maurice Bernard, host of the podcast ‘State of Mind,’ and his fellow castmate on General Hospital, about his struggles with alcohol addiction in a 2022 episode and how had his first drink at age 9
Tyler in a 2010 scene on General Hospital. He also played the role of Stefan DiMera on the popular daytime show Days of Our Lives
‘At some point, you cannot survive it,’ he said. ‘At some point, it will kill you – and it has. Three times, I have flatlined. And nobody knows that.’
He continued: ‘Three times I have flatlined, and they brought me back. Twice from [alcohol] poisoning, once from withdrawal.’
That year, he also shared his journey to recovery and his mental health he posted on his social media, stating that he was returning to California and ready to get to work, as per the publication.
Christopher in July spoke with Bloomberg about a family issue he was dealing with, after he had been placed in the guardianship of his sister Susan Asmo Baker in 2019 after he was injured in an alcohol-related incident.
Christopher told the outlet that he ‘never thought in a million years that I would be taken advantage of by a family member’ after he sued his sibling claiming she had spent $40,000 of his toward her own expenses.
She had denied any wrongdoing to the court and the outlet, telling Bloomberg in an email, ‘If I hadn’t been his Guardian he’d be DEAD!’
Some of Christopher’s other television and film roles included Days of Our Lives, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and the Paul Winfield dramedy Catfish in Black Bean Sauce, earlier in his career.
He also appeared in the crime drama No Turning Back, Face the Music, and The Twilight Zone, as well as the 2014 romantic drama Beyond the Lights. In recent years, he had been seen in TV films such as 2023’s Ice Storm, and the 2022 films 20.0 Megaquake and Super Volcano.
Amid news of Christopher’s death, a number of his contemporaries and fans took to social media to pay memorial to the late actor on the post from Benard announcing his passing
Colleagues and fans of the late entertainer took to Twitter with memorials amid news of his death
Alyssa Milano, who Christopher appeared alongside on a 2000 episode of the series Charmed, posted a memorial Tuesday with an image of them working together
Amid news of Christopher’s death, a number of his contemporaries and fans took to social media to pay memorial to the late actor.
Alyssa Milano, who Christopher appeared alongside on a 2000 episode of the series Charmed, posted a memorial Tuesday that read, ‘It feels like the world is caving in. Tyler Christopher has passed away.
‘He was a wonderful actor and so good in the Charmed episode Pardon My Past. I remember him as being a sweet, sweet, soul. May he rest in peace. My condolences to his friends and family.’
Actor Bryan Craig said, ‘Wow so sad,’ while actor Doug Davidson said, ‘Oh my God. He was such a beautiful person and an amazing actor. I am in total shock. May God bless his soul.’
Actor Sean Kanan said, ‘Stunned to hear that Tyler Christopher passed away. I have no words. RIP my friend.’
General Hospital executive producer Frank Valentini said he was ‘heartbroken over the news’ and remembered Christopher as ‘an incredible actor and a dear friend,’ adding, ‘Our heartfelt sympathies go out to his loved ones during this difficult time.’
A fan of the actor said, ‘I’m stunned…so many people are just leaving this world too soon. RIP Tyler Christopher, wow!! We’ve lost another talented individual, thinking of his loved ones.’
Another fan said that ‘Christopher’s eternal talent and charm filled us all with joy,’ adding, ‘I, like many others, was always rooting for him. I hope he felt that.’
One fan noted a spate of recent untimely celebrity deaths, saying, ‘Billy Miller, Matthew Perry and now Tyler Christopher is gone too?!? My heart hurts.’
Another fan said they were ‘stunned and absolutely devastated’ about Christopher’s death, adding that ‘losing him and Billy Miller within a month of each other is a double gut punch,’ and ‘May their souls rest in peace.’