The mother of late General Hospital star Billy Miller said he died by suicide at age 43.
The soap actor and three-time Daytime Emmy winner, who also starred on The Young and the Restless, died Friday in Austin, Texas, a soap opera journalist reported. Michael Fairman.
Patricia Miller released a statement Soap Opera Digest Monday to clear up rumors circulating about her son’s death.
“He fought a long, hard battle with bipolar depression for years,” Patricia said of her late son. ‘He did everything he could to get the disease under control. He loved his family, his friends and his fans, but in the end the disease won the battle and he surrendered his life.
She added that “the other causes of death being told are not true,” as his cause of death had been the subject of speculation on a number of fan blogs.
Gone too soon: Late General Hospital star Billy Miller’s mother said he died by suicide at 43; he is pictured in 2019 in LA
The actor’s representatives claimed he was suffering from “manic depression” at the time of his death TMZ.
The actor’s death occurred just two days before this 44th birthday. Miller is survived by his mother, Patricia, and his sister, Megan.
DailyMail.com has reached out to representatives for Miller.
Struggle with depression: A cause of death has not yet been revealed, although reps for the actor claimed he was struggling with “manic depression” at the time of his death, according to TMZ; seen in a still from General Hospital
His death was confirmed by someone at The Belmont, a restaurant and bar in Los Angeles, California that Miller co-owned, Fairman said.
Oklahoma-born Miller worked in the mailroom at Industry Entertainment before being signed to Wilhelmina as a model.
He graduated with a communications degree from the University of Texas before moving to Los Angeles.
He got his start in the entertainment industry after landing a role on the popular soap opera All My Children, where he played Richie Novak.
He then joined the cast of The Young and the Restless in 2008, playing the fourth version of Billy Abbott.
Miller left the show in 2014.
He received three Daytime Emmys for the role: two for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series and one for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.
Miller joined the cast of General Hospital in 2014.
He played Jason Morgan and Drew Cain and was a series regular until 2019.
Sad: the actor’s death occurred just two days before this 44th birthday. Miller is survived by his mother, Patricia, and his sister Megan; seen in a still from General Hospital
Tribute: Octavia Spencer, who co-starred with Billy in TV series Truth Be Told, shared a tribute to the actor following news of his death
Celebrity: The soap opera actor and three-time Daytime Emmy winner famously played roles on General Hospital and The Young and the Restless; he is seen in 2009
Successful: He received three Daytime Emmys for his role as Billy Abbott on The Young and the Restless; Pictured at the 40th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards in 2013
As he was: Prior to his acting career, Oklahoma-born Miller worked in the mailroom at Industry Entertainment before being signed as a model to Wilhelmina; seen 2009
Miller also had credits on Showtime’s Ray Donovan, Meghan Markle’s Suits and Apple TV+’s Truth Be Told.
Tributes from fans poured in on social media following news of his death.
Actress Octavia Spencer, who co-starred with Billy in the TV series Truth Be Told, shared a tribute to the actor on Instagram.
‘I am speechless. I was laying here scrolling through IG and came across a post that we lost Billy Miller. To his family, legions of fans and our #TruthBeTold family, my deepest condolences,” she wrote beneath a photo of the actor.
“I’m so sad to hear that Billy Miller has passed away. I loved watching him on all my young children and the restless and general hospital. May he rest in peace,” someone else wrote on Twitter.
“A real loss for the genre, so sad,” another fan added.