General Hospital icon Tristan Rogers passes away at age 79

Beloved General Hospital star Tristan Rogers passed away on the morning of August 15, at the age of 79, from lung cancer, according to ABC Los Angeles.

Tristan Rogers was a General Hospital legend

Robert Scorpio with his on-screen brother, John J. York as Mac | Image: ABC

Rogers was born on June 3, 1946, in Australia, and broke into Australian television in the 1960s when it was still in its infancy. His crew and stunt work on several productions led to his first acting job on the short-lived series The Link Men. After it ended, Rogers decided to try his luck in London, where he modeled and played drums for a rock band.

By 1972, Rogers was back in his native Australia, acting wherever he could. In 1979, he finally made his way to Hollywood, and within a year, he landed the role of Robert Scorpio on General Hospital. What was supposed to be a three-week role turned into a three-year contract, and Rogers became one of the most popular actors on the show, successfully paired with both Emma Samms' Holly and Finola Hughes' Anna.

After a dozen years, Rogers took a chance and left GH to pursue other opportunities, both on-screen and behind the scenes. In 1997, Rogers produced his first series for Showtime called Fast Track. By 2006, he made his way back to GH when Robert Scorpio was found to be alive, and he appeared on and off on a recurring basis until his death. He also brought the character to the spin-off series General Hospital: Night Shift.

Rogers' loved his daytime life

Robert and Holly walked off into the sunset in 2024 | Image: ABC

Rogers even had the distinction of appearing on two soaps at the same time when he recurred on both GH and The Young and the Restless as con man Colin Atkinson, a role he originated in 2010 and played off and on until 2019. Other credits include Babylon 5, Batman Beyond, and the digital soaps The Bay and Studio City.

The actor was always proud to be a part of the soap opera genre and grateful for what it offers performers.

"Its value to up-and-coming artists has been incalculable," Rogers told Soap Central in 2011. "The kind of experience you get from six months of employment on a daytime show -- you just can't get that intensity anywhere else. I would imagine that if all the soaps were to disappear tomorrow, there would be a huge vacuum in terms of that learning curve that artists are not going to have anymore."

The actor last appeared on General Hospital for two episodes on July 17 and 18 this year when Robert welcomed his long-lost daughter, Sasha (Sofia Mattsson) and her baby to his new French home.

Rogers is survived by his wife Teresa Parkerson, their two adult children, Sara and Cale, as well as a grandson born in 2022.