The late Johnny Wactor’s ex-fiancée Tessa Farrell will always have something to remember him by.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight published on Tuesday, May 28, Farrell, who met Wactor in 2013 and dated him through the late 2010s, revealed that she still wears the ring that she and Wactor used to anoint their engagement.
Farrell told ET’s Kevin Frazier that when she and Wactor got engaged they didn’t purchase a new engagement ring, instead opting for a ring that she already owned and held dear. The jewelry previously belonged to Farrell’s grandparents, who were married for over 50 years, she told the outlet.
“It was a really beautiful moment, and I always — I had it on before and I always will have it on because it reminds me of, you know, true love or everlasting love,” said the actress. “Sadly, it has another meaning to it [now], but, you know, I’m grateful — at least I have it still and I have memories of him.”
Wactor, best known for playing Brando Corbin in General Hospital, died on Saturday, May 25, after he was fatally shot during an attempted car theft in Los Angeles. He was 37.
Farrell got the devastating news in a phone call from a mutual friend on Saturday and recalled feeling shocked.
“I’m like, ‘Where did he get shot?’ You know? ‘Where is he right now? I wanna, you know, go see him or help.’ And she didn’t tell me initially where he got shot,” she said. “She just said he didn’t make it. And at that point, there’s nothing I can, you know, nothing no one can say or do to change that.”
On Monday, May 27, Farrell shared an emotional video via Instagram, directly addressing the people responsible for Wactor’s death.
“If the person who did this, if you’re watching, I’m sorry, but you shot the wrong guy,” she said. “You know, you can get a real job, like, I know the job market’s hard, but we’re all in it together. You don’t have to steal, you know? Especially take a life over it, like, human life is disregarded too [easily] guys.”
Farrell also directly addressed Wactor, stating: “I love you very much and I’m very proud of you for the person you’ve become and the obstacles you’ve overcame. And you’ve forever inspired me in my work and what I do and I wouldn’t be here without what you’ve taught me. So, thank you, Johnny. I love you. I miss you. I hope those last moments were OK for you and I’m glad someone was with you.”
The actor’s brother, Grant Wactor, told the Daily Mail on Monday that Wactor was shot while trying to protect a coworker from armed car thieves attempting to steal his catalytic converter.
Grant said that his brother had just finished a bartending shift and was walking with a female coworker when he saw the men surrounding his car.
“We’re Southern, born and raised, and we would never let a female walk to their car by herself,” said Grant. “He came across them and he thought his truck was being towed. So he said something to the guys, like, ‘Hey, are you towing?’”
When Wactor realized what was happening, he tried to shield his coworker from the assailants, Grant said.
“And then once he turned around, he saw what was happening and he put his coworker behind him. And that’s when they shot him,” the actor’s brother told the Mail.