Tyler Christopher, best known for his Emmy-winning role General Hospital, has died. He was 50.

Christopher’s former GH costar Maurice Benard confirmed the actor’s death on Instagram.

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

Benard continued, “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.”

Benard also noted that “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 Executive Producer Frank Valentini told PEOPLE in a statement: “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.”

Valentini added, “On behalf of everyone at General Hospital, our heartfelt sympathies go out to his loved ones during this difficult time.”

Christopher portrayed Nikolas Cassadine on the legendary medical soap opera from 1996 to 2016. He also played Stefan DiMera on Days of Our Lives from 2018 to 2019, winning his second Daytime Emmy (and the fifth of his five career nominations) for the performance. 

In 2008, Christopher married former ESPN reporter Brienne Pedigo and reportedly divorced in 2021. The former couple share two children: Greysun James Christopher and Boheme Christopher. He was also previously married to Desperate Housewives alum Eva Longoria from 2002 to 2004.

Back in July, the actor, who was placed under the guardianship of his sister Susan Asmo Baker since 2019, spoke out about regaining control of his life in an interview with Bloomberg.

“I never thought in a million years that I would be taken advantage of by a family member,” he said.

Shortly after the article was published, Christopher captioned photo of himself on Instagram, writing, “Sharing is part of the healing process.”

Christopher was first placed under his sister’s guardianship during a bout of alcohol withdrawal. He fell, hit his head and underwent life-saving surgery after internal bleeding. While Christopher was hospitalized, his sister filed for guardianship. 

In a previous court filing, Christopher alleged that Asmo Baker used up to $40,000 of finances that should have been for his guardianship to pay off her own credit cards and buy her son a laptop, among other things. Asmo Baker denied the allegations.

Back in May, Christopher was arrested at the Hollywood Burbank Airport for public intoxication. He was released on $250 bail. It wasn’t his first public intoxication arrest, as Christopher was first arrested for a similar incident in 2019 when he fell asleep in the back of an Uber. He pled guilty, and a judge denied a request by law enforcement that Christopher be sentenced to an alcohol treatment program. 

SOURCE