Tyler Christopher, best known for his role on General Hospital, has sadly passed away at age 50.
The late actor was renowned for portraying the popular character Nikolas Cassadine on 1,153 episodes of the long-running daytime soap opera from 1996 to 2016.
The devastating news of his death was first announced by his co-star Maurice Benard, who revealed in a tribute statement on Instagram that the actor passed away after suffering 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," Benard penned. "Tyler was a sweet soul and wonderful friend to all of those who knew him."
The 60-year-old actor - who played Sonny Corinthos in the medical soap opera - noted that Christopher "was an advocate for better mental health and substance use treatment who openly spoke about his struggles with bipolar depression and alcohol," adding: "We are beyond devastated by the loss of our dear friend and pray for his children and his father."
Following the heartbreaking report of the Emmy-winning actor's tragic passing, his representative Chi Muoi Lo, also shared a tribute statement to CNN, writing: "This news was incredibly shocking, and I am devastated by his loss."
"He was a very gifted actor, and more importantly, an amazing friend. My heart goes out to his friends and family who loved him so much," they added.
In addition to this, the General Hospital Executive Producer Frank Valentini mourned over his loss in a sweet message to People describing the late actor as "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," Valentini penned.
Christopher earned four daytime Emmy nominations for his work on the medical TV series and in 2016, he won the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.
He also starred as Stefan DiMera on 159 episodes of Days of Our Lives, from 2018 to 2019 - a performance for which he also earned a Daytime Emmy nomination.
The late actor's TV show catalog includes the ABC Family drama series The Lying Game and guest appearances on The Twilight Zone, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Family Law, Charmed, Angel, and The Pretender.
He also starred in several TV disaster movies, including Ice Storm, 20.0 Megaquake, and Super Volcano. Furthermore, his film credits include Shouting Secrets, Out of the Black, Max Winslow and the House of Secrets, Murder, Anyone? and Beyond the Lights.
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.
Our thoughts go out to his family, friends, and fans at this time.