Tristan Rogers, Robert Scorpio Actor on 'General Hospital,' Dies at 79

Tristan Rogers, who played legacy character Robert Scorpio on ABC's "General Hospital," died Friday at the age of 79. He made a special appearance on the soap opera just under a month ago.

"The entire 'General Hospital' family is heartbroken to hear of Tristan Rogers' passing," said Frank Valentini, the show's executive producer, in a statement. "Tristan has captivated our fans for 45 years and Port Charles will not be the same without him (or Robert Scorpio)."

Rogers was born in Melbourne, Australia, and started his career playing drums in a rock band. After the band dissolved, he turned to commercial work and modeling to earn a living. He eventually decided to give acting a try and moved to Los Angeles to pursue it.

"I had no idea at the point how big the show was," Rogers told fellow "General Hospital" actor Maurice Benard on the YouTube show, "State of Mind with Maurice Benard" in 2022.

"I had no name. I was brought in expressly to beat up the hero, Luke, (played by Anthony Geary), and then disappear," Rogers said. His first day was half-over when then-executive producer Gloria Monty asked if he would like to stay on. They had no character written for him so for three weeks Monty asked him to just appear in scenes "looking furtive, looking suspicious" until they came up with a storyline.

Scorpio's on again/off again romance with Emma Samms' character, Holly Sutton, remained a favorite among fans. Scorpio also had a romance and many storylines with another spy, Anna Devane, played by Finola Hughes. Scorpio and Devane shared a daughter, Robin, played by Kimberly McCullough. Samms returned to the show for a stint last fall where it was revealed that Scorpio was the father of her adult daughter, Sasha Gilmore (played by Sofia Mattson.)

Rogers and Samms left the show together in November 2024 in scenes taped with a nod to "Casablanca." He returned to the show in July for one episode when Sasha arrived to his home in France with her new baby. It was then revealed that Rogers had lung cancer.

Rogers' other acting credits include "The Bold and the Beautiful," "The Young & the Restless" and "Studio City," which won him outstanding supporting actor in a digital drama series at the Daytime Emmy Awards. He is survived by his wife, Teresa Parkerson, and a daughter and a son.