Tyler Christopher, an actor best known for appearing in daytime dramas “General Hospital” and “Days of Our Lives,” has died, according to a former co-star. He was 50. Actor Maurice Benard posted a confirmation of his death on Instagram on Tuesday.
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Longtime friend and co-star, “we share the news of Tyler Christopher’s passing with great sadness,” stated. “Tyler died suddenly this morning following a cardiac episode at his San Diego residence.”
“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.”
Christopher portrayed Nikolas Cassadine in America’s longest-running soap drama from 1996 until 2016. He was nominated for several Daytime Emmys and won one for his role on the medical serial. Christopher also featured as Stefan DiMera on “Days of Our Lives” from 2018 to 2019, for which he got the final of his five Daytime Emmy nominations.
In memory of the actor, “General Hospital” executive producer Frank Valentini shared a tribute on Instagram. “I am heartbroken over the news of Tyler Christopher’s passing. He was kind, an incredible actor and a dear friend, who was beloved by our #GH family and fans of Nikolas Cassadine,” he wrote.
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“On behalf of everyone at [‘General Hospital’] our heartfelt sympathies go out to his loved ones during this difficult time.” Tyler Christopher Baker was born Nov. 11, 1972, in Joliet, Ill., and grew up in Delaware, Ohio. He was the youngest of four siblings, all of whom were at least ten years his senior.
Although he committed much of his childhood to athletics, he was undersized for his age and finally moved his concentration from football to acting. He relocated to Los Angeles after spending two years at Ohio Wesleyan University after finishing high school. In the early 1990s, Christopher auditioned for “General Hospital,” but the the job went to another actor.
His career as a soap star began in 1996, when he was given the role of Cassadine in the serial. He was enormously popular on the daytime soap but suffered with bipolar disease for most of his life and subsequently with substance-abuse troubles.
During a 2022 installment of Benard’s “State of Mind” podcast, Christopher addressed his departure from “General Hospital,” telling Benard, “It crushed me, because I took for granted the one thing I love the most.” The word “devastating” was used by him to describe the impact.
“One, the thing that I love the most was taken away. Two, I threw it away,” he said. “Nobody took it away from me. I dropped it, OK? Having to walk out those doors under that circumstance was like, ‘Wow, this is for real, dude. This is for real.’ My pride and ego were very quick to intervene. ‘Who can I blame for this?’ And when I looked in the mirror, there was only one person to point the finger at.”
He also disclosed on the show that he first took alcohol when he was 9 years old and, owing to his alcohol consumption, nearly died three times — twice from alcohol poisoning and once from an event that happened during drug withdrawal, when Christopher collapsed and had to undergo an emergency craniotomy.
Subsequent to the occurrence, physicians required that Christopher be placed under a medical guardianship, which brought him to Ohio, where he resided with his sister, Susan Asmo Baker. In Ohio, he stated he battled with loneliness. Christopher married “Desperate Housewives” actress Eva Longoria in 2002, but the pair parted in 2004.
In 2008, he married former ESPN reporter Brienne Pedigo. He and Pedigo separated in 2021 after having two children, Greysun James Christopher and Boheme Christopher. Christopher announced on “State of Mind” in 2022 that he was in the middle of authoring a book chronicling his difficulties with mental health and substance misuse.
“The main goal of this book is to not get the story out so people can feel sorry for me. One reason for another addict, another guy or gal with bipolar, to read that and say to themselves, I’m like that too. There’s nothing wrong with it.” It’s uncertain whether Christopher’s book was finished before his death.
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