‘General Hospital’ Actor Tyler Christopher Dead at 50: Was He Married? Did He Have Kids?
Daytime Emmy-winning actor Tyler Christopher has died at age 50. The soap star known for his roles on General Hospital and Days of Our Lives experienced a cardiac event at his San Diego apartment, according to reports.
Tyler Christopher played Nikolas Cassadine on ‘General Hospital’
Christopher portrayed Nikolas Cassadine on General Hospital from 1996 to 2016. That performance won him a Daytime Emmy for outstanding lead actor in a drama series in 2016. He also played Stefan DiMera on Days of Our Lives from 2001 to 2019. His other work included roles in the ABC Family series The Lying Game and the movie Beyond the Lights. He also made appearances in JAG, CSI, Crossing Jordan, and The Twilight Zone.
Christopher’s former General Hospital co-star Maurice Benard shared the news of his death on Instagram.
“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 wrote. “Tyler was a sweet soul and wonderful friend to all of those who knew him. Tyler was an advocate for better mental health and substance use treatment who openly spoke about his struggles with bipolar depression and alcohol. We are beyond devastated by the loss of our dear friend and pray for his children and his father.”
Tyler Christopher was formerly married to Eva Longoria
Christopher was formerly married to Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria from 2002 to 2004. The pair met while working together on General Hospital.
After his divorce from Longoria, Christopher married Brienne Pedigo in 2008. They had two children. A son, Greyson, was born in 2000. They welcomed a daughter named Boheme in 2015. The marriage lasted for a little more than a decade. Pedigo filed for divorce in 2019. The split was finalized in 2021, according to Hola.
The soap star was open about his mental health challenges
Before his death, Christopher had spoken candidly about his mental health and addiction issues.
“As a former actor on General Hospital and Days of Our Lives, I have been very open about my mental health journey and my experience with anxiety and bipolar disorder, as well as my recovery from alcoholism,” he wrote in an essay for Reader’s Digest.
Christopher said that he was taking medications and seeing a psychiatrist. However, before that he had “struggled with my mental health.”
“My addiction to alcohol contributed to losing my jobs on General Hospital and Days of Our Lives—no one else is to blame,” he shared. “I suffered from delirium tremens, the most severe form of alcohol withdrawal, and almost died after falling and hitting my head on a bathtub.”
In a November 2022 Facebook post, Christopher talked about celebrating his “50th birthday in an obscure Mexican restaurant in Indiana with my two beautiful children.”
“There is no place I would have rather been than with those joyous souls,” he wrote. “To those who did not think I would make it to 50 I will share my favorite poem ‘I am the master of my fate. I am the Captain of my soul.’ The best is yet to come.”
How to get help: In the U.S., contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration helpline at 1-800-662-4357.
Sources: The Hollywood Reporter, Hola
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