EXCLUSIVEThe curse of General Hospital: Suicides, addiction and mystery deaths plagued the soap's cast even before Johnny Wactor's brutal murder over a $1,500 catalytic converter
- Wactor is the latest General Hospital cast member to die in tragic circumstances
- Fans are questioning whether America’s longest-running soap opera is cursed
- Read more: Wactor mistook masked thieves stealing his car for tow truck drivers
It’s America’s longest-running TV soap opera currently in production. But after the murder of actor Johnny Wactor, fans of General Hospital are asking the question – is the show cursed?
Wactor is the latest cast member to die before his time and in tragic circumstances, although his slaying in Los Angeles at the hands of a gunman was the most brutal and shocking.
Suicides, cancer battles, serious accidents, homelessness and run-ins with the law have blighted the lives of actors on the daytime ABC show, which has notched more than 15,000 episodes since first airing moire than 60 years ago in 1963.
Wactor, who starred as Brando Corbin from 2020 to 2022, was gunned down early Saturday as he confronted thieves trying to steal his car’s catalytic converter after leaving a rooftop bar with a woman colleague.
The 37-year-old actor, who appeared in 164 episodes, was rushed to a nearby hospital but could not be saved. The three masked suspects are still at large.
Actor Johnny Wactor is the latest General Hospital cast member to die in tragic circumstances. He was gunned down early Saturday as he confronted thieves trying to steal his car’s catalytic converter after leaving a rooftop bar with a woman colleague
Robyn Bernard fell from soap star diva to a life addicted to alcohol and meth before her death aged 64, just months before Wactor. She is pictured left in the 1980s and right in 2014
His killing came less than three months after Robyn Bernard, who played Terry Brock from 1984-1990, was found dead in a field behind a business in San Jacinto, California.
The coroner’s bureau at Riverside County Sheriff’s Office said Bernard’s cause of death is not yet available. Police said there were no signs of foul play.
‘There was an autopsy and the results can take up to 12 weeks,’ a spokesperson told Dailymail.com.
Bernard, 64, owed her breakthrough to playing Brock, a singer and former owner of a restaurant in the fictional city of Port Charles where General Hospital is based.
Her other credits included appearances in ’80s crime drama Simon&Simon and 1997 French movie comedy Kings for a Day.
However the Texan-actress, sister of 1990s sitcom Wings star Crystal Bernard, ended up living in a mobile home two hours out of Los Angeles and had reportedly stopped communicating with fans.
San Jacinto news site Action Eye reported after her death that the mobile home had burned down and Bernard was known locally to be homeless.
General Hospital fans were devastated in September 2023 when Emmy-winning actor Billy Miller took his own life aged just 43 after battling bipolar disorder and depression.
Miller, who played Jason Morgan and then his twin Drew Cain in 592 episodes between 2014 and 2019, was found dead in a bathtub by paramedics at his home in Austin, Texas.
A Travis County Medical Examiner’s report said he was discovered ‘with an apparent gunshot wound to his head.
‘Multiple letters indicating suicidal intent and instructions for others were found at the scene. A revolver chambered for .410 shotgun shells was found in the right hand…
Billy Miller died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head in December 2023, following a long battle with mental health issues, an autopsy report revealed
General Hospital veteran Tyler Christopher was found dead aged 50 at his apartment in downtown San Diego, California, in October 2023. Sonya Eddy died in December 2022 from complications after non-urgent surgery
‘Postmortem toxicology demonstrated the presence of ethanol, cocaine, and its metabolites, diphenhydramine, and amphetamine.’
Days after the tragedy, Miller’s mother Patricia told Soap Opera Digest: ‘He fought a long hard, valiant battle with bipolar depression for years. He did everything he could to control the disease.’
General Hospital veteran Tyler Christopher – who played the roles of Nikolas Cassadine and Connor Bishop in various spells between 1996 and 2016 – was found dead aged 50 at his apartment in downtown San Diego, California, in October last year.
The star had battled bipolar disorder and substance abuse, but he died from ‘acute alcohol intoxication’ that led to him being in a position where he suffered asphyxia, according to the local medical examiner’s report.
Christopher was found unresponsive in his bedroom by a friend, who called 911. It was unclear how long he had been in that state before being discovered.
Five months before, the actor was arrested and handcuffed for public intoxication at Hollywood Burbank Airport after allegedly falling asleep due to booze.
He had a similar arrest in 2019 when he fell asleep in the back of an Uber in Indiana and subsequently pleaded guilty to two counts of public intoxication.
Bergen Williams, best known as Alice Gunderson who was housekeeper for the show’s Quartermain family, was another who died early through illness . She joined in 2002 and filmed her final episode in 2014
Actress Lindsey Pearlman, 43, was found dead inside her car at Runyon Canyon Park on February 18, 2022. She reportedly died of an overdose and left a suicide note in her home and one in her call that directed whoever found her to call 911
General Hospital co-star Maurice Bernard said after his death: ‘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.’
Sonya Eddy, who was in 543 General Hospital episodes as head nurse Epiphany Johnson from 2006, tragically died aged 55 in December, 2022, from complications after non-urgent surgery.
Haley Pullos was jailed for three months in April for seriously injuring a motorist after driving the wrong way doown an LA freeway while drunk
The beloved actress spent two days in hospital in Burbank, California, for the scheduled procedure. But she began to feel ill and returned on December 15, when doctors discovered she had an infection that was ‘uncontainable’.
Her devastated business partner Tyler Ford said afterwards: ‘She left an inedible imprint in every person that she touched, through screen and off.’ Fellow actress Octavia Spencer said: ‘The world lost another creative angel.’
Show stalwart Kristina Wagner and ex-husband and fellow General Hospital actor Jack lost their son Harrison aged just 27 in 2022.
He was found dead in a parking lot from what was determined to be an accidental overdose of fentanyl and Alprazolam, the generic name for Xanax.
Kristina, who has appeared in more than 600 episodes as Felicia Jones Scorpio since her debut in 1984, has posted movingly on social media about her younger son.
She and actor-musician Jack, who played Frisco Jones in spells between 1984 and 2013, divorced in 2006 after years of splits and reconciliations.
But they were united in their grief over Harrison, setting up a scholarship and fund in his honor to help young men pay rent at a sober living facility in California.
A year after Harrison’s death, Jack, 64, shared a throwback photo of their son standing next to a campfire as a young boy. He captioned it: ‘My youngest, so pure, so perfect. I love you Harrison, I miss you Harrison. My heart goes out to parents who have lost a child. There are no words, so we cry.’
Wactor, 37, was leaving his job at a rooftop bar with a co-worker in the early hours of Saturday morning when he saw three men attempting to steal his catalytic converter
Kristina, 61, posted a video of Harrison hiking in Palm Springs, California, where he spoke of pain and struggle, happiness and love. His mom wrote: ‘It’s brutally painful to (lose) my boy. I still believe in open mindedness, happiness and love and I still have hope for wishes come true. Thank you Harrison.’
Shelley Kepler, who played busybody nurse Amy Vining form 1979 to 2002, also appearing in General Hospital spinoff Port Charles, died from kidney failure at 49 in 2008.
Kepler was one of 250 actresses who auditioned for her role and became a fan favorite. Twice divorced, she moved to Portland, Oregon, after ending her acting career.
Bergen Williams, best known as Alice Gunderson who was housekeeper for the show’s Quartermain family, was another who died early through illness. She joined in 2002 and filmed her final episode in 2014.
Lindsey Perlman was 43 when she took her own life in February, 2022. The Chicago-born actress had guest appearances on General Hospital and was a regular in TV commercials.
Perlman was reported missing to Los Angeles police, who found her body in a vehicle near Runyon Canyon Park, Hollywood, five days after she vanished from her East Hollywood home.
Wactor's brother said Johnny (seen here with General Hospital co-star Helena Mattsson) brought up as 'Southern gentlemen,' so he was not surprised he was walking his female co-worker to her car
But she succumbed in 2021 to Wilson’s disease in 2021. The condition is a rare genetic disorder that stops the body from removing excess copper, which can then build up in the brain, liver, eyes and other organs.
The married actress died from an overdose of sodium nitrate, according to a report from Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. Her husband Vince Smith posted on social media: ‘The police found Lindsey. She’s gone… I’m broken.’
John J. York, who plays Malcolm ‘Mac’ Scorpio whose screen wife is Kristina Wagner’s character, has been missing from the show since November, 2023 while undergoing cancer treatment.
The 65-year-old veteran of 647 episodes has had blood stem cell transplant treatment for myelodysplastic syndrome, a type of blood cancer, and the bone marrow cancer smoldering myeloma.
In an update in December, he told fans on social media his treatment is ‘actually going along very well’. Posting a video revealing his bald head, he continued: ‘I have a long road ahead, but the rest results are looking good. I’m feeling good.
‘Hopefully, hopefully, if things go the way they are, maybe be back on the show late spring, early summer… so one day at a time. We’ve gotta take care of this.’
Haley Pullos left her long-time role General Hospital after being arrested for DUI, hit-and-run and a wrong-way crash on a Los Angeles freeway in April, 2023.
Johnny's younger brother Grant (pictured center right) and grandmother Barbara said that Johnny (pictured left) was working at a downtown LA restaurants, as he often picked up side gigs as a bartender. They didn't know which bar he was working that night
The 25-year-old actress surrendered to 90 days in Pasadena City Jail last month following her no contest plea to two felony DUI counts and one count of misdemeanor hit-and-run driving resulting in property damage.
Pullos, who played the recurring role of Molly Lansing-Davis from 2009 to the time of her arrest, must also serve five years’ probation, 200 hours of community service and pay $8,260 restitution to the other driver in the crash, according to her attorney.
Mark Daniel Melnick added to People: ‘Haley is very grateful to the court for a minimum sentence and for recognizing her remorse and the strides she has made in her sobriety.
Wactor's murder comes just weeks after California was ranked among the top ten most dangerous states in America.
The three thieves were targeting his car for its catalytic converter. As he approached the vehicle, he believed he was about to be towed and he went to try to discuss it.
But one of the trio looked up and pointed a gun at Wactor, who put his body in front of his female co-worker as he was shot, saving her life.
His brother Grant told DailyMail.com: ‘We're Southern, born and raised, and we would never let a female walk to their car by herself.
‘He came across them and he thought his truck was being towed. So he said something to the guys, like, “hey, are you towing?”
‘And then once he turned around, he saw what was happening and he put his coworker behind him. And that's when they shot him.’
Grant confirmed his brother was shot in the chest. He added cops told him Wactor did not attempt to fight the car thieves, but the actor was backing away and trying to protect his friend when the shot was fired.
