Former General Hospital actor Johnny Wactor has been shot dead in Los Angeles by a thief who was attempting to steal the catalytic converter from his car.
The actor’s mother Scarlett said that her 37-year-old son had left work at a rooftop bar at 3am on Sunday when he saw a man at his car and thought it was being towed.
Wactor approached the man to ask what was happening and was then immediately shot, she said.
The suspect then fled the scene with two other men, police said.
Wactor was rushed to hospital, where he died.
No arrests have been made.
Wactor’s agent, David Shaul, said the actor was “a real moral example to everyone who knew him.”
“In the highs and lows of a challenging profession he always kept his chin up and kept striving for the best he could be,” he said in a statement.
“Our time with Johnny was a privilege we would wish on everyone. He would literally give you the shirt off his back. After over a decade together, he will leave a hole in our hearts forever.”
Thieves often target catalytic converters as they contain valuable metals including platinum, palladium and rhodium.
Wactor was born in 1986 in Charleston, South Carolina.
He appeared in more than 160 episodes of General Hospital in the role of character Brando Corbin.
Wactor also starred in the 2013 NBC series Siberia and in two episodes of HBO’s Westworld.
General Hospital said in a statement: “The entire General Hospital family is heartbroken to hear of Johnny Wactor’s untimely passing. He was truly one of a kind and a pleasure to work with each and every day. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his loved ones during this difficult time.”
