General Hospital star Tyler Christopher has died at the age of 50, according to his co-star.
The show’s Maurice Benard said on Instagram on Tuesday: “It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of Tyler Christopher. Tyler died this morning of complications from a heart condition at his home in San Diego.
Christopher was married to Desperate Housewives alum Eva Longoria from 2002 to 2004.
“Tyler was a truly talented individual who turned heads in every scene he played and enjoyed bringing joy to his loyal fans through his acting,” Benard said on the social media site. “Tyler was a sweet soul and a wonderful friend to everyone who knew him.”
Benard said his late colleague was “an advocate for better mental health and substance abuse treatment who spoke openly about his struggles with bipolar depression and alcohol,” adding, “We are deeply devastated by the loss of our dear friend and are praying.” for his children and his father.’
The Latest: “General Hospital” star Tyler Christopher has died at age 50, according to his co-star. Pictured in 2018 in LA
Christopher and ex-wife Eva Longoria were pictured at the 29th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards in NYC in May 2022
The actor played the role of Nikolas Cassadine in 1,153 episodes of General Hospital from 1996 to 2016.
He received four daytime Emmy nominations for his work on the series and won the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2016.
In the following years, from 2018 to 2019, he portrayed Stefan DiMera in 159 episodes of another popular soap in “Days of Our Lives”.
In his personal life, Christopher has been married twice: to Longoria and to former ESPN personality Brienne Pedigo from 2008 to 2021.
He and Pedigo had two children – a son, Greysun James, 10, and a 4-year-old daughter, Boheme.
The actor has been plagued by alcohol-related legal issues in recent years.
He was arrested six months ago after he passed out drunk at a Los Angeles airport. This was his second public drunken arrest in three years.
According to TMZ, Christopher was found fast asleep on the floor at Burbank Airport in Los Angeles on May 26 when police became aware of the snoozing soap star and woke him up.
The show’s Maurice Benard announced the tragic news on Instagram on 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 authorities he missed his flight before being handcuffed and charged with public intoxication.
Authorities said Christopher showed clear signs of intoxication and was “unable to care for himself,” the news outlet said.
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, and spent his 47th birthday behind bars.
In that incident, an Uber driver had alerted officers to Christopher’s behavior after he allegedly passed out and urinated on himself after being dropped off at his home.
That same month, he was arrested for drunkenness and charged with allegedly harassing, harassing or causing distress to another person, Page Six reported.
In 2022, Christopher appeared on the mental health podcast “State of Mind” with host and former General Hospital cast member Maurice Bernard, aka Sonny, according to Soaps.
During the episode, he spoke openly about his alcohol addiction and his first time drinking at the age of nine.
Tyler Christopher received four Daytime Emmy nominations and won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2016 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 to State of Mind podcast host and General Hospital co-star Maurice Bernard about his struggles with alcohol addiction in a 2022 episode and how he first became addicted at age 9 had something to drink
Tyler in a scene from 2010’s General Hospital. He also played the role of Stefan DiMera on the popular daytime show Days of Our Lives
“At some point you can’t survive it anymore,” he said. “At some point it will kill you – and it has.” I flatlined three times. And nobody knows that.’
He continued: “Three times I flatlined and they brought me back.” Twice from [alcohol] Poisoning, once through withdrawal.’
This year, he also shared his road to recovery and mental health on his social media, saying he was returning to California and ready to get to work, the release said.
His other television and film roles included Days of Our Lives, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and the Paul Winfield dramedy Catfish in Black Bean Sauce early in his career.
He also appeared in the crime dramas “No Turning Back,” “Face the Music” and “The Twilight Zone,” as well as the 2014 romantic drama “Beyond the Lights” with Gugu Mbatha-Raw.
In recent years, he has appeared in television films such as 2023’s Ice Storm and the 2022 films 20.0 Megaquake and Super Volcano.