Tyler Christopher, an actor known for his roles on 鈥淕eneral Hospital鈥 and 鈥淒ays of Our Lives,鈥 has died. He was 50.
Christopher鈥檚 representative Chi Muoi Lo told CNN in a statement that the actor died Tuesday morning.
鈥淭his news was incredibly shocking, and I am devastated by his loss. 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,鈥 the statement read.
Christopher鈥檚 鈥淕eneral Hospital鈥 co-star Maurice Bernard also shared a tribute to the actor on Tuesday, , 鈥淭yler 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.鈥
鈥淭yler was a sweet soul and wonderful friend to all of those who knew him,鈥 he added.
In 2008, Christopher married ESPN reporter Brienne Pedigo, with whom he shared two children. According to , the pair ended their marriage in 2021. He was previously married to actress Eva Longoria from 2002 to 2004.
Christopher was best known for his role playing the popular character Nikolas Cassadine on the long-running daytime soap opera 鈥淕eneral Hospital.鈥 He starred as Cassadine at various points between 1996 and 2016, earning one Daytime Emmy win and four additional nominations for his performance along the way.
In a 2017 with Soap Opera Digest, the actor said he鈥檇 left 鈥淕eneral Hospital鈥 to take a 鈥減ersonal leave,鈥 and ultimately did not end up returning to the show. He went on to star as Stefan DiMera in the NBC soap opera 鈥淒ays of Our Lives鈥 between 2018 and 2019, a performance for which he also earned a Daytime Emmy nomination.
Outside of his celebrated career as an actor, Christopher dealt with various hardships toward the end of his life.
In 2019, he reportedly underwent craniotomy surgery after he fell in his bathroom at his home and injured his head. His sister, according to an Christopher participated in with Bloomberg Law in July, petitioned to be his legal guardian during his recovery. The guardianship ended in 2021.
In May, the actor was at the Hollywood-Burbank airport on suspicion of public intoxication, according to the LA Times.
鈥淭yler was an advocate for better mental health and substance use treatment who openly spoke about his struggles with bipolar depression and alcohol,鈥 Bernard wrote in his Instagram post Tuesday. 鈥淲e are beyond devastated by the loss of our dear friend and pray for his children and his father.鈥