General Hospital star Jay Pickett dies at 60: Soap opera actor passes away suddenly while sitting on horse during scene for his Western movie in Idaho
- Longtime soap opera actor Jay Pickett died on Thursday at the age of 60
- The star collapsed suddenly while sitting on a horse on a movie set in Idaho
- Crew members tried to revive him but were not successful, it was shared
- Jay was best known for his work on the daytime shows General Hospital and Days Of Our Lives
Longtime soap opera actor Jay Pickett died on Thursday at the age of 60.
The star, best known for his work on the daytime shows General Hospital and Days Of Our Lives, collapsed suddenly.
It happened while he was on a horse as he was about to shoot a scene for a movie filming in Idaho.
Costars took to social media to pay tribute to the Hollywood veteran. One even speculated Jay may have suffered from a heart attack, adding several of the crew members had tried to revive him.
The official cause of death has not yet been released.
Sad loss: Longtime soap opera actor Jay Pickett died on Thursday at the age of 60. Seen in 2002 in a promo still for Port Charles
The star was working on his film Treasure Valley in Idaho. He was the star and had also written and was producing the Western film that was scheduled to be released in 2022.
Jim Heffel, a costar and co-producer on the movie, shared the news on Facebook.
‘Yesterday I lost a good friend and the world lost a great person,’ said Heffel.
‘Jay Pickett decided to ride off into the Heavens. Jay died sitting on a horse ready to rope a steer in the movie Treasure Valley in Idaho. The way of a true cowboy.’
Travis Mills, who was also acting in the film, said on Facebook it seemed the star had a heart attack.
On set: Jim Heffel, a costar and co-producer on the movie, shared the news on Facebook. ‘Jay died sitting on a horse ready to rope a steer in the movie Treasure Valley in Idaho,’ began the actor. ‘The way of a true cowboy’
‘Many of you have already heard about the tragedy that happened two days ago,’ said Mills.
‘Jay Pickett, our leading man, writer, producer, and creator of this movie passed away suddenly while we were on location preparing to film a scene.
‘There is no official explanation for the cause of his death but it appears to have been a heart attack. Everyone present tried as hard as they could to keep him alive. Our hearts are broken and we grieve for his family who are so devastated by this shocking tragedy.’
At work: He played a doctor on Port Charles. Seen here in 1998 with Sarah Aldrich
A team player: From left Pickett, David Gail, Pat Crowley, Sarah Aldrich on Port Charles’
Jay was starring as Jack Braun in Treasure Valley. The synopsis is: ‘When cowboy Jack Braun learns that his daughter may have survived a tragic fire that changed his life forever, he sets out on a quest to find her.’
Pickett starred as Dr Chip Lakin on Days of Our Lives from 1991 until 1992. Then came the soap Port Charles (1997 until 2003) and General Hospital (2006 until 2008).
Jay – who was born in Spokane, Washington, also guest starred on the prime time TV series Desperate Housewives, Perry Mason, Saving Grace and NCIS.
He is survived by his wife, Elena, and their children Tyler Pickett, Michaela Pickett, Maegan Pickett.
A fan favorite: Pickett seen in a press photo for the soaper All My Children