At the age of 50, Tyler Christopher, who was well-known for his General Hospital role that won awards, passed away. Tyler Christopher died on Tuesday morning after suffering a cardiac episode at his San Diego apartment.
Using his Instagram account, Maurice Benard, who costarred with Tyler Christopher on General Hospital, confirmed the actor’s demise.
From 1996 to 2016, Tyler Christopher portrayed Nikolas Cassadine in the renowned medical drama. For his portrayal of Stefan DiMera on Days of Our Lives from 2018 to 2019, he was also nominated for an Emmy.
Tyler Christopher tied the knot with former ESPN reporter Brienne Pedigo in 2008, and they were said to have divorced in 2021. They have two children together, named Greysun James Christopher and Boheme Christopher. Prior to this marriage, he was married to Eva Longoria, a former Desperate Housewives star, from 2002 to 2004.
His former co-star on General Hospital, Maurice Benard, confirmed his passing. Social media has been inundated with tributes following the tragic news from friends, colleagues on television, and former cast members.
Maurice Benard shared a deep message of Tyler Christopher’s passing
When breaking the news of Tyler Christopher’s passing, he conveyed his profound sadness, saying that he died in his San Diego apartment following a cardiac event that had occurred earlier in the morning.
Benard also lauded Christopher’s extraordinary talent and the way he lit up the screen in each role he played, delighting his devoted followers with his performances. He praised Christopher as a kind and amazing friend to everyone who had the honor of getting to know him.
Tyler Christopher was an advocate for better mental health and drug-use treatment, as Maurice Benard also mentioned. Christopher was candid about his personal struggles with alcoholism and bipolar disorder. Benard prayed for Christopher’s father and children and conveyed his deep sorrow over the passing of their close friend.
Frank Valentini expresses over Tyler Christopher’s passing
General Hospital executive producer Frank Valentini conveyed his deep grief upon learning of Tyler Christopher’s passing. He called Christopher a great actor, a man of kindness, and a dear friend of Nikolas Cassadine’s admirers, as well as the GH family.
Valentini acknowledged the hardship Christopher’s family must be going through and sent his deepest sympathies to them.
Tyler Christopher was under the guardianship of his sister
In an interview with Bloomberg in July, Tyler Christopher—who had been living under the guardianship of his sister Susan Asmo Baker since 2019—spoke candidly about taking back control of his life. He was shocked to learn that a family member had abused him, stating, “I never thought in a million years that I would be taken advantage of by a family member.”
Christopher posted a picture of himself on Instagram after the article was published, writing, “Sharing is part of the healing process.”
When Tyler Christopher went through alcohol withdrawal and fell, he hurt his head and needed life-saving surgery because of internal bleeding. That’s when he was first placed under his sister’s guardianship. His sister submitted a guardianship application while he was in the hospital.
Tyler Christopher stated in an earlier court filing that his sister, Susan Asmo Baker, had taken out about $40,000 of the money intended for his guardianship to pay off her personal credit card debt and buy her son a laptop, among other things. These accusations were denied by Susan Asmo Baker.
In May, Tyler Christopher was taken into custody at the Hollywood Burbank Airport on suspicion of public intoxication. After posting $250 bail, he was set free. He was arrested for public intoxication before; in 2019, he experienced a similar incident in which he dozed off in the back of an Uber. He entered a guilty plea, and the judge denied the prosecution’s request that he go to an alcohol rehabilitation center.
