New Details About General Hospital Star Johnny Wactor's Death Are Absolutely Heartbreaking
The entertainment world is still reeling following the horrifying news that "General Hospital" star Johnny Wactor was fatally shot on May 25, 2024, adding him to the list of former stars of the sudser who tragically passed away. According to People, his death was ruled a homicide after the lovable soap star suffered a gunshot wound to the chest. His brother, Grant Wactor, confirmed that Johnny was moonlighting as a bartender and at 3:25 a.m. he and a colleague were walking through the parking lot when they noticed that his vehicle "was jacked up or lifted in some way," understandably assuming it was being towed even though that clearly was not the case given who was handling it at the time. Grant clarified that his brother, "Did not confront them. He did not try to stop them. He was just trying to diffuse the situation by stepping back."
Instead, the actor placed himself between his workmate, Anita Joy, and the men, holding his arms clear to indicate that he was unarmed. But the robbers, "weren't expecting anybody to walk up on them, so they got scared" and, as Grant pointed out, "There's nothing more dangerous than a coward with a gun in his hand." Completely unprovoked, one of them opened fire, killing Johnny. Much like his "GH" character Brando Corbin, who debuted a hero and shockingly exited as one too, Johnny acted bravely in his final moments. Joy took to social media to share the gut-wrenching details of that fateful night.
Anita Joy revealed that she held Johnny Wactor as he died
On May 29, 2024, "General Hospital" alum Johnny Wactor's co-worker Anita Joy took to Instagram to share a heartfelt tribute to the actor. "He treated everyone with love, respect, compassion and he really 'saw' you. He was beautiful, goofy as hell, full of work ethic and values," she wrote. The soap star's former colleague recalled that, although Wactor loved to make people laugh, he crucially never told jokes at anyone else's expense. Joy also stated, "I was with Johnny in his last moments and I'm here to be his voice after such unimaginable events." Alongside several photos of Wactor and a video of him arm wrestling, she shared her heartbreaking and harrowing account of what happened.
According to Joy, the duo slowly approached the men around Wactor's car, reiterating, "We were no threat and Johnny kept his cool as he always did, simply stating that it was his car and for them to leave. Hands open to his sides in peace." The actor then stepped in front of her, but was knocked back into Joy's arms by the gunshot. She asked if he was okay and Wactor said, "Nope! Shot!" Joy held him in her arms while a security guard from their place of work called 911, before attempting CPR, but sadly it was too late. "My only peace is that I was with him and this didn't happen to him alone," she noted, soulfully adding, "My only other peace will be seeing these awful men brought to justice."