General Hospital 's Johnny Wactor Dead at 37 in Fatal Shooting
Originally appeared on E! Online
The soap opera community is mourning one of their own.
Johnny Wactor, who starred on General Hospital in recent years, has died. He was 37.
The actor was shot dead May 25 in downtown Los Angeles while trying to stop a group of thieves tampering with a car, his mother confirmed to NBC Los Angeles.
Police received a call at 3:25 a.m. PT about a man who was shot in the area after encountering three men attempting to remove a catalytic converter, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson told NBC News. One of the suspects used a handgun to shoot the victim, who was pronounced dead on the scene, and all three men fled in a vehicle in an unknown direction, the spokesperson said. No arrests have been made and an investigation into the shooting is ongoing.
Wactor's agent David Shaul also confirmed the actor's death.
"Johnny Wactor was spectacular human being," Shaul said in a statement to Variety. Not just a talented actor who was committed to his craft but a real moral example to everyone who knew him. Standing for hard work, tenacity and a never give up attitude."
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He continued, "In the highs and lows of a challenging profession he always kept his chin up and kept striving for the best he could be," adding, "Our time with Johnny was a privilege we would wish on everyone. He would literally give you the shirt off his back. After over a decade together, he will leave a hole in our hearts forever."
E! News has reached out for comment from Wactor's rep and Los Angeles police and has not heard back.
The actor, originally from Charleston, S.C., has been acting onscreen for more than 15 years. Wactor began his Hollywood career in 2007, playing small parts on the series Army Wives. In 2013, he starred on the short-lived supernatural drama Siberia as a South Carolina competitive bull rider, also named Johnny.
Wactor went on to appear on shows such as Hollywood Girl, Criminal Minds, NCIS, The OA and Westworld and the 2016 movie USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage with Nicolas Cage and Tom Sizemore, who died last year at 61.
His breakout role came in 2020, when he made his debut as Brando Corbin on General Hospital, a role he played on more than 160 episodes until 2022.
Last year, he appeared on the comedy series Barbee Rehab, which also starred Sizemore, as well as the movie Supercell with Alec Baldwin, Skeet Ulrich and the late Anne Heche.
Tributes to Wactor were posted on social media soon upon news of his death.
"When the tears slow down, I am literally sick to my stomach at this news," General Hospital actor Jon Lindstrom wrote on X, formally Twitter. "Johnny was one of those rare young men in this business who was kind, unassuming, humble, and always thought about other people. A talented young guy who just wanted to share that talent with the world."
He added, "I wish I had enough love to fill the hole that his loved ones must feel right now, but I know that's impossible. Johnny will be missed on this plane. For a long time to come. R.I.P."
(E!, NBC Los Angeles and NBC News are part of the NBCUniversal family.)
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