General Hospital star Tristan Rogers has died at the age of 79, ABC7 reports. The actor succumbed to complications from lung cancer. He died on the morning of Friday, August 15.
His manager, Meryl Soodak, confirmed the news to the publication, noting that despite his illness, Rogers was not a smoker.
In a statement, the manager said has his work on General Hospital “meant everything to him.”
“He loved being Scorpio, and he created that role from nothing. He was supposed to work a day, and he ended up making it into something huge. He was just a genuinely loyal, kind human being, and he loved his family,” the statement read.
Rogers starred as Robert Scorpio on the soap since joining in 1980 and continued to make appearances on the soap opera throughout the 45 years since, including after his diagnosis.
In July, he made a surprise appearance on the show to help conclude the story of his on-screen daughter, Sofia Mattsson’s Sasha Gilmore. Of his return, Mattsson told TV Insider, he was “lovely to work with and very sweet in real life.”
Of her chance to work with the actor amid his illness, she said, “It was special that [my final scenes] were with Tristan.”
A spokesperson for the actor at the time said of his diagnosis, which was revealed in July 2025, “While he remains hopeful and is working closely with his medical team on a treatment plan, this is a challenging time for Tristan and his family,” said the rep. “As they face both the emotional and physical burdens that come with this diagnosis, the family kindly asks for privacy and understanding. They are deeply grateful for the outpouring of support and love from their friends and family.”
For his work, Rogers was nominated for multiple Soap Opera Digest Awards and won two Soapy Awards. He was also recognized for his work in The Bay and Studio City, as well as his stint as Colin Atkinson on The Young and the Restless. He was also known for his voice role as Jake in The Rescuers Down Under and did commercial voiceover work for brands like Outback Steakhouse, Foster’s, Reebook, and Epson, as well as the 2015 video game Mad Max.
Rogers was born in Melbourne, Australia, and got his start in soap operas like Bellbird, Number 96 and The Box. He was married to Barbara Meale from 1974 to 1984 before marrying Teresa Parkerson in 1995. Together, he and Parkerson had two children, daughter Sara Jane and son Cale.
Following the news of his death, fellow General Hospital star Jon Lindstrom shared a tribute to the actor on social media, writing, “I know the sadness I feel at this news is shared by so many of you. #TristanRogers was one of the coolest, funniest people I ever met. Whenever we were together, which wasn’t nearly often enough, we never missed a chance to try to crack the other one up. I wish I’d had more of those chances. R.I.P.”
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