Esther Anderson has shared a heartbreaking tribute to her former co-star Johnny Wactor after he was shot dead in Los Angeles on Saturday when he confronted thieves who broke into his car.
Wactor, 37, appeared in 164 episodes of the soap opera General Hospital from 2020 to 2022 and was shot dead while armed car thieves tried to steal his catalytic converter.
On Instagram, Anderson wrote a heartfelt message to the actor, with whom she starred in the 2013 TV show Siberia.
“Gone too soon Johnny,” the Home and Away star, 44, wrote alongside a selfie of the couple.
‘You will be missed by many… My heart breaks for your family. RIP.’
Esther Anderson (left) has shared a heartbreaking tribute to her former co-star Johnny Wactor (right) after he was shot dead in Los Angeles on Saturday.
On Instagram, Anderson wrote a heartfelt message to the actor, with whom she starred in the 2013 TV show Siberia.
Reposting the photo of his co-star Anne-Marie Mueschke, the tribute continued: “The world lost a genuinely bright light yesterday with Johnny’s senseless murder. “He was such a fun, genuine guy and I’m so happy to have met him.
“Today I feel especially close to my family from Siberia.”
Wactor was leaving his side job at a rooftop bar with a female colleague around 3:25 a.m. Saturday in the area of West Pico Boulevard and South Hope Street when he saw the three men, believing they were towing him.
Since the incident, police said one of the three men, all wearing masks, shot Wactor before fleeing in a separate vehicle.
Paramedics arrived on the scene shortly after and transported him to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The masked suspects remain at large and have not yet been identified or described.
Scarlett Wactor, Johnny’s mother, said her son didn’t try to fight them or even stop them from robbing him, but they still shot him and escaped.
Actor Johnny Wactor was a “southern gentleman” who was protecting a co-worker from the armed robbers who fatally shot her on Saturday, his brother Grant told DailyMail.com.
Wactor, 37, was leaving work at a rooftop bar with a co-worker in the early hours of Saturday morning when he saw three men trying to steal his catalytic converter.
Johnny’s younger brother Grant confirmed to DailyMail.com that Johnny was shot in the chest when he encountered the suspects trying to steal the catalytic converter from his truck.
He said his brother and his co-worker had to park about two blocks from the restaurant, so they walked to their cars after finishing their shift.
Grant said they were raised as ‘Southern gentlemen,’ so he wasn’t surprised that his older brother was walking his coworker to her car.
“We’re Southerners, born and raised, and we would never let a woman walk to her car alone.”
The Los Angeles Police Department says it is not releasing the names of the victims.
DailyMail.com has contacted the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office for comment.
Wactor appeared in over 160 episodes of General Hospital as the character Brando Corbin from 2020 to 2022.
The actor was also a regular on the 2013 NBC drama series Siberia, which ran for 11 episodes.
She did multi-episode arcs on television shows such as The OA, The Passenger, Westworld, and Hollywood Girl.
Her first foray into television came in a three-episode guest role on the Lifetime series Army Wives.
It had also diversified in production; His IMDb page has three upcoming projects listed. Wactor also wrote a short film called Broken Riders.
Wactor’s most recent work was on the horror anthology Dead Talk Tales: Volume I released earlier this year.
Personally, his Instagram page often showed him engaging in extreme sports such as rock climbing.
According to Los Angeles police, the shooting occurred at 3 a.m. Saturday in the area of West Pico Boulevard and South Hope Street.
He is survived by his mother Scarlett and brothers Lance and Grant.
Wactor’s mother described him as a loving young man whose death leaves a hole in her family’s hearts, according to TMZ.
Co-workers have also begun to give their opinion about the young actor’s loss.
General Hospital co-star Perry Shen posted a beautiful memory of Wactor on X.
‘Johnny Wactor was a beautiful, beautiful soul. Very talented. As you can see in the promotional clip, he is always up for anything. It is fun. He was very fit, but I also loved ice cream and ate all the junk food he ate,” Shen wrote.
Wactor appeared in over 160 episodes of General Hospital as the character Brando Corbin from 2020 to 2022.
“We were all fooled for many years with him.”
“As the tears subside, my stomach literally hurts at this news,” co-star Jon Lindstrom wrote.
‘Johnny was one of those few young people in this business who was kind, modest, humble and always thinking of others. “A talented young man who just wanted to share that talent with the world.”
‘I wish I had enough love to fill the void your loved ones must feel right now, but I know that’s impossible. Johnny will be missed on this plane. For a long time to come. RIP’
Wactor’s mother described him as a loving young man whose death leaves a void in the hearts of his family.
The actor was also a regular on the 2013 drama series Siberia, which ran for 11 episodes.