Robert Kelker-Kelly Died of Arteriosclerotic Heart Disease
Former Days of Our Lives and General Hospital actor Robert Kelker-Kelly died of arteriosclerotic heart disease at his home in St. Peters, Missouri, according to the Office of the Regional Medical Examiner in St. Charles, Missouri, as reported by Page Six. He was 62 years old.
Authorities confirmed that the soap opera star’s manner of death was ruled natural. First responders were dispatched to Kelker-Kelly’s residence on October 3 after a 911 caller reported that an adult male was experiencing cardiac arrest, according to Kyle Gaines, division chief and public information officer for the St. Charles County Ambulance District. Paramedics and police officers administered advanced life-saving measures, but the actor was pronounced dead at the scene at 9:09 p.m.
Emergency Response and Investigation Details
A 911 dispatch recording captured the emergency response, with a caller noting that Kelker-Kelly was unresponsive and that emergency personnel were working to clear his bed. Authorities noted that there was nothing suspicious about the circumstances surrounding his death, and the medical examiner later released his body to a local funeral home.
Roles on Days of Our Lives and Another World
He appeared on that soap opera for three years before landing his most high-profile role in 1992: taking over the established character of Bo Brady on Days of Our Lives from Peter Reckell. During his three-year run on the show, he performed alongside Kristian Alfonso and Lisa Rinna, earning a Soap Opera Digest Award for Hottest Soap Couple with Rinna in 1995.
Following his exit from Days of Our Lives when Reckell returned to the role, Kelker-Kelly returned to Another World in 1996 to play race car driver Bobby Reno—a character later revealed to be Dr. Shane Roberts—until 1998. He also portrayed Stavros Cassadine on General Hospital in 2001, making guest appearances through 2014, before stepping away from the entertainment industry to work as a professional pilot from 2003 to 2015.
Recent Memoir Allegations and Personal Life
Former co-star Lisa Rinna accused him of being the “biggest bully in Hollywood” in her memoir, You Better Believe I’m Gonna Talk About It. Rinna alleged that Kelker-Kelly was verbally abusive, manipulative, and played mind games with her on set. Kelker-Kelly never publicly addressed the allegations.
Following his death, former co-stars paid tribute to the actor. Sandra Dee Robinson, who played his onscreen love interest on Another World, shared memories on Instagram about their early days in television and navigating sudden popularity together. Kelker-Kelly was previously married to actress Miriam Parrish from 1997 until their divorce in 2013, and he is survived by their daughter, Amelia Rose Kelly.
Additional Career Tributes and Soap Industry Reflections
Kelker-Kelly starred in 586 episodes as Bo Brady on Days of Our Lives from 1992 to 1995, appeared in 434 episodes on Another World from 1987 to 1998, and played Stavros Cassadine across 42 episodes on General Hospital between 2001 and 2014. Reflecting on his arrival on Days of Our Lives in 1992, Kelker-Kelly told Entertainment Weekly, I knew Reckell was popular in the part and I was ready for some opposition, but it never came,
adding, Bo is a bit on the edge. He’s fun to play because he’s not a hero at all. He rushed in there whenever his emotions tell him to and he doesn’t put up with a lot of crap from others.
Upon departing the series, he remarked to Soap Opera Digest, It was a good run and I had a good time while it lasted.
Following his passing, Sandra Dee Robinson wrote on Instagram on Oct. 5, My first years in TV on Another World were a whirlwind and Robert and I had no idea how popular our storyline would be… or what that meant,
adding, We learned together! It was not always an easy time working together on that show, but years later we would laugh on calls about life,
and concluding that she was grateful to have had the opportunity to know him.
The wider soap opera community has mourned the premature loss of several stars through the years, including unexpected deaths of actors such as Billy Miller, David Gail, and Alec Musser.
More on Robert Kelker
🕊️ "Days of Our Lives" actor Robert Kelker-Kelly has died at 62. What we know: https://t.co/EJ5Ah7TSMm pic.twitter.com/COvLIaf8cZ