Tyler Christopher, an actor finest identified for starring in daytime soaps “Basic Hospital” and “Days of Our Lives,” has died, in line with a former co-star. He was 50.
Actor Maurice Benard confirmed the actor’s dying Tuesday on Instagram.
“It’s with nice unhappiness that we share the information of the passing of Tyler Christopher,” the longtime good friend and co-star wrote. “Tyler handed away this morning following a cardiac occasion in his San Diego condominium.
“Tyler was a very proficient person that lit up the display screen in each scene he carried out and relished bringing pleasure to his loyal followers by way of his appearing. Tyler was a candy soul and fantastic good friend to all of those that knew him. Tyler was an advocate for higher psychological well being and substance use remedy who overtly spoke about his struggles with bipolar despair and alcohol. We’re past devastated by the lack of our expensive good friend and pray for his youngsters and his father.”
Christopher portrayed Nikolas Cassadine on America’s longest-running cleaning soap opera from 1996 to 2016. His efficiency on the medical cleaning soap scored a Daytime Emmy Award for excellent lead, in addition to a number of nominations. Christopher additionally starred as Stefan DiMera on “Days of Our Lives” from 2018 to 2019, for which he earned the final of his 5 Daytime Emmy nominations.
“Basic Hospital” government producer Frank Valentini posted on Instagram commemorating the actor.
“I’m heartbroken over the information of Tyler Christopher’s passing. He was variety, an unimaginable actor and a pricey good friend, who was beloved by our #GH household and followers of Nikolas Cassadine,” he wrote. “On behalf of everybody at [‘General Hospital’] our heartfelt sympathies exit to his family members throughout this tough time.”
Tyler Christopher Baker was born Nov. 11, 1972, in Joliet, In poor health., and grew up in Delaware, Ohio. He was the youngest of 4 youngsters, with siblings throughout a decade or so older. Though he devoted a lot of his adolescence to athletics, he was small for his age and ultimately shifted his focus from soccer to appearing. After highschool, he attended Ohio Wesleyan College for 2 years after which moved to Los Angeles.
Within the early Nineties, Christopher auditioned for “Basic Hospital,” however the the function went to a different actor. In 1996, he was forged to painting Cassadine for the serial, kicking off his soap-star profession. He was wildly profitable on the daytime drama however struggled with bipolar dysfunction for many of his life and later with substance-abuse points. Throughout a 2022 look of Benard’s “State of Thoughts” podcast, Christopher addressed his departure from “Basic Hospital,” telling Benard, “It crushed me, as a result of I took with no consideration the one factor I really like probably the most.” He stated it was “devastating” for myriad causes.
“One, the factor that I really like probably the most was taken away. Two, I threw it away,” he stated. “No one took it away from me. I dropped it, OK? Having to stroll out these doorways below that circumstance was like, ‘Wow, that is for actual, dude. That is for actual.’ My satisfaction and ego had been very fast to intervene. ‘Who can I blame for this?’ And after I appeared within the mirror, there was just one particular person to level the finger at.”
He additionally revealed on the podcast that he first tried alcohol when he was 9 years previous and, on account of his alcohol abuse, almost died thrice — twice from alcohol poisoning and as soon as from an episode that occurred throughout substance withdrawal, when Christopher fell and needed to have an emergency craniotomy.
Subsequent to the episode, medical doctors mandated that Christopher be positioned below a medical guardianship, which led him to Ohio, the place he lived along with his sister, Susan Asmo Baker. In Ohio, he stated he struggled with isolation.
Christopher married “Determined Housewives” star Eva Longoria in 2002, however the couple break up in 2004. In 2008, he married former ESPN reporter Brienne Pedigo. He and Pedigo had two youngsters, Greysun James Christopher and Boheme Christopher, and reportedly divorced in 2021.
Christopher disclosed on “State of Thoughts” in 2022 that he was within the means of writing a e-book detailing his struggles with psychological well being and substance abuse.
“The principle aim of this e-book is to not get the story out so folks can really feel sorry for me. One cause for one more addict, one other man or gal with bipolar, to learn that and say to themselves, I’m like that too. There’s nothing mistaken with it.”
It’s unclear whether or not Christopher’s e-book was completed earlier than his dying.
