Johnny Wactor dead: Esther Anderson mourns the death of General Hospital star and close friend in heartbreaking tribute

Esther Anderson has shared a heartbreaking tribute to her former co-star Johnny Wactor after he was shot in Los Angeles on Saturday when confronted by thieves who broke into his car.

Wactor, 37, appeared in 164 episodes of the soap opera General Hospital from 2020 to 2022 and was fatally shot while armed car thieves tried to steal his catalytic converter.

Via Instagram, Anderson wrote a heartfelt message to the actor, with whom she starred in the 2013 television show Siberia.

“Gone way too soon Johnny,” the Home and Away star, 44, wrote alongside a selfie of the pair.

‘You will be missed by so many. My heart is broken for your family. REST IN PEACE.’

Reposting the photo of her co-star Anne-Marie Mueschke, the tribute continued: “The world lost a truly bright light yesterday with the senseless murder of Johnny. He was such a funny, genuine guy and I’m so glad I got to know him.

‘Today I feel particularly connected to my Siberian family.’

Wactor was leaving his part-time job at a rooftop bar with a female coworker near West Pico Boulevard and South Hope Street around 3:25 a.m. Saturday when he saw the three men, thinking he was being towed away.

Since the incident, police said one of three men, all wearing masks, shot Wactor before fleeing in a separate vehicle.

Paramedics arrived on the scene shortly afterwards and took him to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The masked suspects are still on the run and have yet to be identified or described.

Scarlett Wactor, Johnny’s mother, said her son didn’t try to fight them or even stop them from stealing, but they shot him anyway and escaped.

Johnny’s younger brother Grant confirmed to DailyMail.com that Johnny was shot in the chest when he encountered the suspects trying to steal the catalytic converter from his truck.

He said his brother and his coworker had to park about two blocks from the restaurant, so they walked to their car after finishing their shift.

Grant said they were raised as “Southern gentlemen,” so he wasn’t surprised when his older brother walked his female colleague to her car.

“We’re Southern, born and raised, and we would never let a woman walk to their car alone.”

The Los Angeles Police Department says it will not release the names of the victims.

DailyMail.com has contacted the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office for comment.

Wactor appeared in more than 160 episodes of General Hospital from 2020 to 2022 as the character Brando Corbin.

The actor was also a series regular on the 2013 NBC drama series Siberia, which ran for eleven episodes.

He went on to have multi-episode arcs on TV shows like The OA, The Passenger, Westworld, and Hollywood Girl.

His first break on television came in a three-episode guest role on the Lifetime series Army Wives.

He had also started producing; his IMDb page lists three upcoming projects. Wactor also wrote a short film called Broken Riders.

Wactor’s most recent work was in the horror anthology Dead Talk Tales: Volume which I released earlier this year.

Personally, his Instagram page often showed him engaging in extreme sports such as rock climbing.

He is survived by his mother Scarlett and brothers Lance and Grant.

Wactor’s mother described him as a loving young man whose death leaves a hole in his family’s hearts, according to TMZ.

Colleagues have also begun to express their thoughts about the loss of the young actor.

General Hospital co-star Perry Shen posted a beautiful memory of Wactor on X.

“Johnny Wactor was a beautiful, beautiful soul. So talented. As you can see in the promotional video, you are always up for anything. Funny as can be. Fit as hell but also loved ice cream and ate all the crap I ate too,” Shen wrote.

“We’ve all been cheated on with him for years.”

“As the tears slow down, this news literally makes me sick,” co-star Jon Lindstrom wrote.

“Johnny was one of those rare young men in this industry who was kind, modest, unassuming and always thinking of other people. A talented young man who just wanted to share that talent with the world.”

“I wish I had enough love to fill the hole his loved ones must be feeling right now, but I know that’s impossible. Johnny will be missed on this plane. For a long time. REST IN PEACE’