Tyler Christopher Dies: Former ‘General Hospital’ Actor Was 50

Tyler Christopher, best known for playing Nikolas Cassadine on General Hospital, has died. He was 50.

His passing was confirmed on the Instagram account of GH star Maurice Benard. Reports indicate he died from a “cardiac event” in his San Diego apartment Tuesday.

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“It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of Tyler Christopher. Tyler passed away this morning following a cardiac event in his San Diego apartment. 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. 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.”

General Hospital EP Frank Valentini released this statement to Deadline Tuesday on behalf of the ABC sudser: “I am heartbroken over the news of Tyler Christopher’s passing. He was kind, an incredible actor, and dear friend, who was beloved by our GH family and fans of Nikolas Cassadine. On behalf of everyone at General Hospital, our heartfelt sympathies go out to his loved ones during this difficult time.”

The Illinois-born Christopher was on GH from 1996-2016, winning a 2016 Daytime Emmy Award for his performance and landing several other noms for the role. He later was nominated in 2019 for his longtime recurring role as Stefan DiMera on Days of Our Lives.

In a 2023 interview with Bloomberg Law, Christopher alleged that this sister took advantage of a dark time in his life while he was in recovery by becoming his guardian. The actor had fallen two times because of his drinking; the first time was in 2019, when he reportedly fractured his skull that caused a brain bleed.

Christopher alleged his sister spent $40,000 of his money for her own personal use. In court papers, and in an email to Bloomberg Law, she said she was protecting her brother.

Christopher is survived by two children from his second marriage.

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