Christopher was well-known for his work on “General Hospital” and “Days of Our Lives,” which throughout the course of his career netted him a total of five Daytime Emmy nominations.
The actor’s passing was verified on Instagram by Paula Smith, the spouse of Maurice Benard, Christopher’s co-star on GH.
“It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of Tyler Christopher,” he wrote in a note. “Tyler passed away this morning following a cardiac event in his San Diego apartment.”
Benard went on, “Tyler was a really talented person who lit up the screen in every scene he performed and enjoyed using his acting to make his devoted fans happy.” To everyone who knew him, Tyler was a fantastic friend and kind spirit.”
Benard added, “Tyler was an outspoken speaker about his battles with alcoholism and bipolar depression and a supporter of improved mental health and drug abuse treatment. We pray for his father and children, and we are deeply saddened by the loss of our great buddy.”
From 1996 until 2016, Christopher played Nikolas Cassadine in the venerable medical soap drama. In addition, from 2018 to 2019, he portrayed Stefan DiMera on Days of Our Lives, which led to his fifth nomination for a Daytime Emmy in his career.
Christopher supposedly got divorced in 2021 from former ESPN reporter Brienne Pedigo, with whom he had married in 2008. Greysun James Christopher and Boheme Christopher are the parents of the former couple’s two children. Additionally, he previously wed Eva Longoria, a former cast member of Desperate Housewives, from 2002 until 2004.
In an interview with Bloomberg back in July, the actor—who has been under his sister Susan Asmo Baker’s guardianship since 2019—spoke candidly about taking back control of his life.
“I never in a million years imagined that a family member would take advantage of me,” he remarked.
Christopher said, “Sharing is part of the healing process,” as the caption for a photo of himself on Instagram shortly after the piece was published.
When Christopher was going through an alcohol withdrawal episode, his sister was initially given custody over him. He suffered a fall, struck his head, and had internal bleeding that required life-saving surgery. Christopher’s sister submitted a guardianship application while he was in the hospital.
Christopher claimed in an earlier court document that Asmo Baker had paid off her own credit cards and purchased a laptop for her son, among other things, using up to $40,000 that was supposed to be under his care. Baker Asmo refuted the claims.
Christopher was detained for public intoxication at the Hollywood Burbank Airport back in May. $250 bail was used to release him. Christopher was arrested for public intoxication before; in 2019, he was detained for a similar event in which he dozed off in the back of an Uber. After Christopher entered a guilty plea, the judge rejected the prosecution’s proposal to sentence him to an alcohol rehabilitation center.
