Nick Benedict, All My Children and Days of Our Lives star, dies at 77

Nick Benedict, the Daytime Emmy–nominated actor best known for his roles on All My Children and Days of Our Lives, has died, PEOPLE reports. He was 77.

The soap star died on his birthday on July 14, per an online obituary. The news was also confirmed one day later on the Facebook page for Jake's Steakhouse, a restaurant in Tehachapi, Calif., where Benedict's wife Ginger works as a bartender.

The post read, "Nick Benedict's birthday was July 14. He went to be with the Lord this day. Please pray for Ginger."

Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images Nick Benedict

Alongside the post, the restaurant shared a link to a GoFundMe page that stated that Ginger had taken a leave of absence to care for Benedict after he underwent emergency spinal surgery earlier this month.

"Nick Benedict was in the Navy, an actor, musician, and painter. Ginger and Nick have been married for 22 years. Both have been part of the Tehachapi community for many years," the post read. "On July 2, Sunday, Nick had emergency spinal cord surgery. On July 4 he was admitted to hospice. He is paralyzed from the neck down. He will need constant care and support."

It continued, "They live in Arizona and Ginger travels back and forth. To say this is a stressful situation is not saying enough. We are looking to raise money to help with bills, food, and any medical expenses that may arise. Please pray for Ginger and Nick as they go through this very difficult time."

Benedict, the son of actor and director Richard Benedict, got his start as a child actor in the 1955 film Wiretapper. He would go on to make spotlight appearances on several popular shows throughout the 1960s, including Mission: Impossible, Hawaii Five-O, and Ironside.

He starred as Phil Brent, an ex-husband of Erica Kane (Susan Lucci), on All My Children from 1973 until 1978. Benedict received a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series for his performance in 1979.

In addition to All My Children, Benedict's soap-opera credits include his performance as Michael Scott on The Young and the Restless in 1981 and his role as Curtis Reed on Days of Our Lives, which he played across 93 episodes from 1993 until 2001.

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