Tristan Rogers: “General Hospital” star died

The Australian actor Tristan Rogers (1946-2025), who became known by the “General Hospital” series, is dead. His long-time manager Meryl Soodak confirmed his death on Friday, August 15, to “ABC 7 Eyewitness News”. It only became known in July that Roger’s lung cancer was diagnosed, although he never smoked. He was 79 years old.

The actor had his first appearance in the soap victim in 1980, in which he embodied the role of Robert Scorpio. As his manager Soodak emphasized, this role “means everything”. “He loved being Scorpio and he created this role out of nowhere.” She looked back: “He should work for a day and in the end he made something big out of it. He was just a sincere loyal, friendly person and he loved his family.”

Also Frank Valentini, the executing producer of the series,: “The entire General Hospital family is inconcential for the death of Tristan Rogers. Tristan has captivated our fans for 45 years, and Port Charles will not be the same without him (or Robert Scorpio).” Valentini emphasized: “Tristan was a unique talent and we will be very missing. May he rest in peace.”

Tristan Rogers was born in Melbourne in 1946. After school, he first founded a rock band with friends. At the age of 21 he started working as a model and in advertising to make money. Then he decided to become an actor – without experience and training. “For me it was a way to make a little money. This is all,” he told “Soap.com” in 2022. At first he was seen in his home country. So he played in the Australian soap operas “Bellbird, Number 96” (1974) and “The Box” (1975). He also appeared in some British films, including “Four Dimensions of Greta” (1972).

In 1980 he moved to the United States and shortly afterwards was occupied as Robert Scorpio in “General Hospital”. “Back then I didn’t know how important ‘General Hospital’ was; it was just another job for me,” he looked back soap Opera Digest 2020. “But it was really exciting to get fresh and take on this role. Of course, people said wherever I came: ‘You are at’ General Hospital ‘? This is the hottest thing in the whole country!” He was simply carried away by the “General Hospital flood wave”. His role developed into a crowd favorite and he rose to the main actor.

In 1992, however, Robert Scorpio was killed, and Rogers left the series. But in 2006 he celebrated a comeback when the series brought back many popular characters from the 80s. “I think this figure will follow me to the grave,” the actor told the New York Times at the time.

Tristan Rogers had been married to Teresa Parkerson in second marriage since 1995. The couple has a daughter and a son.