Tyler Christopher, best known for his work on “General Hospital,” has died at the age of 50, Pvnew can /confirm/i.
”This news was incredibly shocking, and I am devastated by his loss,” Christopher’s rep said in a statement to Pvnew.
“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.”
Christoper’s “General Hospital” co-star and friend, Maurice Benard, announced his death on Instagram Tuesday night.
“Tyler passed away this morning following a cardiac event in his San Diego apartment,” he said alongside a photo of the late star.
He continued, “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.”
He also called Christopher a “sweet soul and wonderful friend to all of those who knew him” and spoke highly of his work to “advocate for better mental health and substance use treatment” as someone “who openly spoke about his struggles with bipolar depression and alcohol.”
Benard concluded, “We are beyond devastated by the loss of our dear friend and pray for his children and his father.”
Christopher began his acting career by playing Nikolas Cassadine in 1996’s “General Hospital: Twist of Fate,” which became his career-defining role.
He played Nikolas on the hit ABC series through 2016 and also acted on “Days of Our Lives” playing Stefan DiMera from 2018 to 2019.
He earned five Daytime Emmy nominations throughout his soap career and won his first in 2016 for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.
His last acting credit, per IMDb, was in the television movie “Ice Storm.”
In his life off camera, Tyler was the father of two: a son, Greysun James Christopher, and a daughter, Boheme Christopher. He shares them with his ex-wife, Brienne Pedigo, whom he divorced in 2021.
The actor was married to Eva Longoria between 2002 and 2004.
As Benard mentioned, Tyler struggled with substance abuse and even admitted his drinking was part of the reason he got let go from “General Hospital.”
“It crushed me, because I took for granted the one thing I love the most,” he told Benard on his “State of Mind” series in 2022.
“It was devastating for a myriad of reasons. One: The thing that I love the most was taken away. Two: I threw it away. Nobody took it away from me. I dropped it, okay?”
“And having to walk out those doors under that circumstance, was like, ‘Wow, this is for real, dude. This is for real … that ship has sailed,'” he continued.
“My pride and ego were very quick to intervene. ‘Who can I blame for this?’ And when I looked in the mirror, there was only one person to point the finger at.”
Tyler had been arrested for public intoxication a handful of times.
Most recently, he was taken into custody in May for allegedly being found passed out drunk at a South Carolina airport.
In 2019, Christopher fell in his bathroom as he was withdrawing from alcohol. He fractured his skull, which led to a brain bleed.
While he was in the hospital, his sister, Susan Asmo Baker, filed for guardianship. It was granted.
“I was recovering from a brain injury so the choice for guardianship was made for me without my knowledge,” he told Bloomberg Law in a July interview.
The guardianship led to a financial headache when his sister could not give a straightforward answer to how she was spending his money.
He later took her to court and accused her of misspending $40,000 to help pay for her personal debt.
“I never thought in a million years that I would be taken advantage of by a family member,” he said.
The guardianship was dissolved in 2021.
