Tyler Christopher, “General Hospital” and “Days of Our Lives” star, dies at 50

Tyler Christopher, the actor best known for his work on General Hospital as Nikolas Cassadine, died from a cardiac event in San Diego at age 50 on Tuesday. Cameron's former GH costar Maurice Benard announced the news on Instagram, which was reposted by the official General Hospital account.

"It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of Tyler Christopher," Benard's post reads. "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."

The post goes on to discuss Christopher's advocacy and struggles with mental health. "Tyler was an advocate for better mental health and substance use treatment who openly spoke about his struggles with bipolar depression and alcohol," the post continues. "We are beyond devastated by the loss of our dear friend and pray for his children and his father."

Matt Winkelmeyer/WireImage Tyler Christopher

Reps for Christopher did not immediately respond to EW's request for comment.

Christopher was born Tyler Christopher Baker in Joliet, Ill. in 1972. His first screen role came when he joined GH in 1996 as Nikolas Cassadine. The actor left the show in 1999 to pursue other projects and returned in 2003. During his second run with the show, he also played Nikolas' doppelganger Connor Bishop. Christopher then left the show again in 2011 to appear in The Lying Game, and returned once more in 2013 before concluding his time with the show in 2016. He won a Daytime Emmy for the role in his final year on GH. In his absence, Nikolas has been played by Coltin Scott, Chris Beetem, Nick Stabile, and Marcus Coloma.

Once his time at GH had ended, Christopher joined the cast of Days of Our Lives from 2017 to 2019. Throughout his career, he also appeared in episodes of primetime shows like Angel, Charmed, Felicity, and CSI.

Christopher is survived by his two children.

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