Tyler Christopher, General Hospitalâs Nikolas Cassadine, dead at 50

Tyler Christopher, known for his role as Nikolas Cassadine on “General Hospital,” has died. He was 50.

Christopher’s “General Hospital” co-star Maurice Benard announced the news on Instagram Tuesday evening, writing, “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 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.”

Christopher portrayed Nikolas Cassadine on the medical soap opera from 1996 to 2016, as well as Connor Bishop from 2004 to 2005. In 2016, he won the Daytime Emmy for his performance as Nikolas, and previously earned four nominations, one of which was a special fan award for irresistible combination that he shared with Natalia Livingston. Christopher also worked on “Days of Our Lives” between 2001 and 2019, scoring a Daytime Emmy nomination for outstanding lead actor in a drama series for his performance as Stefan DiMera.

Christopher was born on Nov. 11, 1972, in Joliet, Ill. He was married to “Desperate Housewives” star Eva Longoria from 2002 to 2004 and former ESPN reporter Brienne Pedigo from 2008 to 2021. Christopher and Pedigo share two children: Greysun James Christopher and Boheme Christopher.

Along with “General Hospital” and “Days of Our Lives,” Christopher also worked on the ABC Family drama series “The Lying Game” and guested on such series as “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.”

His film credits include “Shouting Secrets,” “Out of the Black,” “Max Winslow and the House of Secrets,” “Murder, Anyone?” and “Beyond the Lights.”