The daytime world was heartbroken when Tyler Christopher died on Oct. 31, 2023, at the age of 50. Now, just over a couple of months later, a cause of death has been reported.
The Medical Examiner Office’s report lists Christopher’s official cause of death as “positional asphyxia due to acute alcohol intoxication,” TMZ has reported. Meaning that the way the actor was positioned at the time of death caused his accidental suffocation. Coronary artery atherosclerosis (plaque buildup on the wall of the arteries supplying blood to the heart) is named as a contributing factor to his death.
Christopher found daytime success when he joined the cast of GENERAL HOSPITAL in 1996 to play the character of Nikolas Cassadine, and after his exit in 2016, created the role of Stefan DiMera on DAYS OF OUR LIVES in 2017. He last aired on the NBC soap in 2019.
The Daytime Emmy Award-winning actor has been open about his struggles with substance abuse, even making an appearance on GH castmate and friend Maurice Benard’s (Sonny) YouTube series State of Mind to discuss the issue. Benard was the first to publicly share Christopher’s passing, posting to Instagram: “It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of Tyler Christopher. Tyler passed away this morning following a cardiac event in his San Diego apartment.”
