General Hospital and Days of our Lives star Tyler Christopher has died at the age of 50 after experiencing a cardiac event.

Christopher’s former General Hospital co-star Maurice Benard announced his passing in a social media post shared Tuesday (Oct. 31).

“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.”

The actor remembered him as “a sweet soul and wonderful friend to all of those who knew him.”

His statement continued, “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 starred as Nikolas Cassadine in General Hospital from 1996 to 2016, earning him a Daytime Emmy in 2016 for Outstanding Lead in a Drama Series. He later had an Emmy-nominated run on Days of our Lives, where he starred from 2001 to 2019.

Cassadine was the first role that launched Christopher’s career in 1996 when he starred in the TV movie General Hospital: Twist of Fate. He made a number of television appearances over the years across Angel, The Twilight Zone and The Lying Game.

General Hospital executive producer Frank Valentini said he was “heartbroken” to hear of Christopher’s passing in a statement to People.

“He was kind, an incredible actor, and dear friend, who was beloved by our GH family and fans of Nikolas Cassadine,” Valentini said. “On behalf of everyone at General Hospital, our heartfelt sympathies go out to his loved ones during this difficult time.”

The star was briefly married to Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria from 2002 to 2004.

He later married ESPN reporter Brienne Pedigo from 2008 to 2021, with whom he shares two children.