For decades, afternoon television consisted largely of soap operas, like Days of Our Lives, The Young & the Restless, The Bold & the Beautiful, One Life to Live, All My Children, and General Hospital.
Unfortunately, times have changed a lot, and many of those beloved shows were canceled, some after nearly 50 years.
Some managed to remain popular and are still on the air, including General Hospital. The iconic show first began airing in 1963 and, after five years, was bought by ABC, where it has remained.
It focuses on the dramatic and dangerous lives of those who live in the fictional town of Port Charles, New York. Some of the characters have been on the series for decades.
Sadly, we have learned that one of the stars of General Hospital — actor Johnny Wactor — was killed on Saturday, May 25, during an attempted robbery. The young actor was just 37 years old.
According to reports, Wactor was shot and killed when thieves tried to steal the catalytic converter from his car. He was with an unnamed coworker when he spotted the criminals. The actor’s mother, Scarlett, said that he did not try to stop the thieves, but they pulled out a gun and shot him anyway.
She spoke to TMZ about the traumatic incident.
Scarlett says she was told Johnny didn’t try to fight or stop them … but, the men shot him anyway before taking off. According to police info, paramedics rushed to the scene just after 3 AM PT. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Police have not provided a description of the suspects … but, Johnny’s mother says she hopes they’ll be found quickly.
The talented General Hospital actor did not begin his career until he was 20 years old, receiving a role on the hit Lifetime show, Army Wives. From there, he appeared in many other hit shows, including Animal Kingdom, Criminal Minds, NCIS, Westworld, and ABC’s Station 19. He began his starring role on General Hospital in 2020, but his character was killed off in 2022.
Sadly, Wactor is not the only General Hospital to pass away at a young age recently.
In September 2023, Wactor’s fellow General Hospital costar, Billy Miller, died at the age of 43. According to his family, the actor seriously struggled with his mental health and decided to end his own life. During his time on General Hospital, Miller played several roles, including Jake Dow, Drew Cain, and Jason Morgan.
Just over one month later, Tyler Christopher, who starred on General Hospital alongside Wactor and Miller as Nikolas Cassadine, died suddenly. He was just 50 years old. Throughout his life, the actor struggled with addiction, even almost losing his life in 2019. During a withdrawal episode, the actor fell and hit his head, and needed life-saving surgery to stop the internal bleeding.
Sadly, his alcohol addiction did end up costing him his life. According to the medical examiner, Christopher died due to positional asphyxia brought on by “acute alcohol intoxication.”
Despite not appearing in a television show until he was 20, Wactor spent most of his childhood on the stage. He starred in his first play — in his home state of South Carolina — when he was just 5 years old. Then, in 6th grade, he attended a school for the arts and tried out for a role in its theater program.
Wactor is survived by his mother Scarlett, and his two brothers, Lance and Grant. Sadly, his father passed away in 2020.
We extend our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Johnny Wactor. Our thoughts are with them during this terrible time.
