According to reports, Johnny Wactor, best known for his role as Brando Corbin on “General Hospital,” was shot and killed in downtown Los Angeles. He was 37 years old.
Wachter was shot and killed early Saturday morning in the downtown area during an attempted catalytic converter theft, according to local television station KTLA. Wachter’s death was confirmed to KTLA by Wachter’s brother, Grant.
In a statement to Variety, Wachter’s talent agent, David Scholl, called Wachter a “wonderful human being” and someone who was “a true moral example to all who knew him.”
“He is a man of hard work, tenacity and a never-give-up attitude. Through the ups and downs of a difficult profession, he always remained positive and continued to strive for the best,” Scholl said in a statement. “The time we spent with Johnny was a privilege anyone could wish for. He was the kind of person who would literally take the shirt off his back for you. After more than a decade together, he will forever leave a hole in our hearts.”
TMZ was first to report Wachter’s death.
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According to the Los Angeles Police Department, officers responded to the area of Pico Boulevard and Hope Street around 3:25 a.m. local time on Saturday. When officers arrived on scene, they found a man suffering from a gunshot wound, according to KTLA.
According to KTLA, the LAPD said the man witnessed three men stealing a catalytic converter from his car, and when he confronted them, they turned around and shot him. The actor’s mother, Scarlett, told ABC7 her son was on his way home from work at a rooftop bar downtown when the incident happened, and Wachter initially thought his car was being towed and asked if that was the case. But when the masked suspect looked up, he opened fire on her son, Scarlett said.
Paramedics rushed Wachter to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to ABC7.
Police say the suspects remain at large.
Wachter’s mother, Scarlett, told Fox News Digital in an interview that authorities plan to perform an autopsy and that Wachter’s family plans to bring him back to South Carolina for a funeral.
“I want everyone to know that they have lost a wonderful human being and it has left a huge hole in mine and his brother’s lives,” Scarlett said of her son. “We just lost my husband, their father, four years ago. He was very loved by his friends and family. He was a very optimistic and positive person who lived life to the fullest and chased his dreams.”
She concluded: “I hope that the perpetrators are caught and that justice is served for Johnny. That’s all I can hope and pray for – that we will see him again. But above ground, it’s going to be a very, very long road without him, for me and his brothers.”
Wachter played Brando Corbin on the ABC daytime drama from 2020 to 2022. However, his TV acting debut was in the Lifetime drama series Army Wives (2007).
Her other television appearances include “Hollywood Girls” (2010), “Siberia” (2013), “Agent X” (2015), “Vantastic” (2016), “Animal Kingdom” (2016), “Criminal Minds” (2017), “NCIS” (2019), “The OA” (2019), “Westworld” (2020), “Passengers” (2020) and “Station 19” (2023).
The actor also appeared in several short films, including “The Grass Is Never Greener” (2010), “GoldenBox” (2011), “Anything for You, Abby” (2019) and “We Won’t Forget” (2021).
He has also appeared in feature films, most notably in 2016’s “The Indianapolis,” starring Nicolas Cage, Tom Sizemore, and Thomas Jane. Wachter’s other film credits include “Menthol” (2014), “Trapper’s Edge” (2023), and “Supercell” (2023).
Wachter is survived by his mother, Scarlett, and brothers Lance and Grant.
