To Johnny Wactor's loved ones, he was more than just a “General Hospital” star. He was a kind son, a best friend, a former lover and a recovering alcoholic, according to friends and family mourning the TV star, who was murdered on Saturday.
“They took away a wonderful person,” Wactor's mother, Scarlett Wactor, said in an interview with “Good Morning America” that aired Monday.
Family and friends in Wactor's inner circle are remembering the actor, who was shot and killed early Saturday after encountering three men trying to steal the catalytic converter from his car in downtown Los Angeles. He was 37 years old.
Wactor was best known for playing Brando Corbin on “General Hospital” from 2020 to 2022. He was shot while walking a co-worker to her car after her shift as a waiter at a bar in downtown Los Angeles, his brother Grant confirmed. Wactor to The Times. on Sunday.
“Johnny stood in front of the co-worker. [and was] shot,” Scarlett Wactor said in an interview with “Today.” .
When asked to reflect on her son's efforts to protect his coworker, Scarlett said she would “use the word 'hero'” to describe her son. “I am grateful that that person is well and that when he died he was not alone,” she added in her interview on “Today.”
Wactor's immediate family, including brothers Grant and Lance, weren't the only ones who remembered the actor. A person who claims to be his godmother wrote in a GoFundMe to benefit the actor's family that “Johnny was the kindest soul” and asked for justice. Actress and filmmaker Tessa Farrell called for justice and stricter law enforcement as she paid tribute to her ex-fiancé in a lengthy Instagram video.
“Johnny is up there now looking down and I'm so happy that I think we found happiness before he left because that was his dream in life: to be happy,” Farrell said while detailing Wactor's “fun” personality, his “too hot” personality. romantic relationship and “phenomenal” acting skills.
“We bring out the best in each other, and then also the darkest parts of each other; Our lives were forever changed,” she continued. “I'm so happy he found sobriety after that relationship.”
Wactor's murder drew the ire of his loved ones. While his brothers lamented the “void that won't be filled,” Ferrell addressed the shooter directly in his video.
“I'm sorry, but you shot the wrong guy. You know you can get a real job, like I know the job market is tough, but we are all in this together,” she said. “You don't have to steal. Especially taking your own life for that?
In a news release Monday, LAPD said the three unnamed suspects “were wearing dark clothing and were driving a dark-colored sedan.” They headed north on Hope Street after the incident, according to the news release. An investigation is underway, police said, and people with more information about the incident are asked to contact officials, the statement added.
“This person is evil,” Scarlett Wactor told “Today” about the person who shot her son. “I think they are cowards. As a parent, you never expect to bury a child.”
Ferrell said her ex-fiancé, whom she had not seen in recent years, was a “rising star” and a “bright soul for this world” who was “full of gifts.” Now, among them, he said, is the need for people to unite against criminal activity.
“Human life is too easily ignored, guys, we have to make some changes as a community,” he said. “We have to support each other, come together.”
As news of Wactor's death spread on Saturday, “General Hospital” mourned the death of its cast member in a statement on social media.
“He was truly unique and a pleasure to work with every day,” the statement said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones during this difficult time.”
Times staff writers Richard Winton and Tony Brisco contributed to this report.
