The family of General Hospital’s Johnny Wactor have shared their grief after the actor died at the age of 37.
Johnny’s mother, Scarlett Wactor, and brothers Grant and Lance, told Extra in an interview published on Tuesday, May 28, that they remain devastated.
“I called him, three or four times, tried to text him,” Grant, Johnny’s younger brother, told the outlet. “No one was 100% sure. That is what they had been told by friends of friends. I was calling the hospital, called the police as many times I could, had a hard time getting through until I finally got somebody to put me in touch with the detective. Once I got a hold of the detective, we were pretty confident that we were right.”
Grant added that “you can’t make sense of it” and said the moment of realization was “mostly shocking and not thinking that it was real.”
Johnny, who was best known for playing Brando Corbin in the ABC soap opera, was shot in the early hours of Saturday, May 25, after allegedly spotting three men attempting to steal his catalytic converter in downtown Los Angeles.
According to Grant, the actor was protecting a coworker from the armed thieves when he was fatally shot.
Lance shared details of his final interactions with Johnny, telling the outlet he spoke to his brother “six days before” the shooting took place. “[I] had a nice conversation with him and didn’t think that would be the last time I would have one with him,” Lance said. “The worst part is that you don’t get another one.”
Scarlett, who confirmed the tragedy to TMZ on Sunday, May 26, shared that she had spoken with Johnny “about the same amount of days or a little less” than when Lance’s conversation took place.
“The big joke is that I don’t like crying and Johnny said, ‘It’s okay to show emotion,’ and I was like, ‘I don’t have a problem showing emotions that I like, but crying isn’t one of them,’ and I just had written him a letter on why I didn’t like it and I thought, ‘Well, he’s getting the last laugh now because he’s definitely got me crying,” Scarlett said.
Scarlett added that her son was a “wonderful, kind soul” who “lived life to the fullest.”
“He chased his dreams and I’m very proud of that and he didn’t give up on them … and trying to be better at everything he did,” she continued. “He was really one of a kind.”
Grant mentioned that “nothing surprised” him about Johnny’s inclination to protect his coworker during the ordeal.
He told the Daily Mail on Monday, May 27, that being protective was part of Johnny’s nature. “We’re Southern, born and raised, and we would never let a female walk to their car by herself,” he said before sharing further details from the event. “He came across them and he thought his truck was being towed. So he said something to the guys, like, ‘Hey, are you towing?”
According to Grant, Johnny then saw what was happening and tried to shield his coworker from the group, “when they shot him.”
General Hospital producers issued a statement on Monday regarding Johnny’s death.
“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,” said the statement shared via X.
