Following the tragic death of General Hospital actor Johnny Wactor (ex-Brando) on May 26, the tributes have been pouring in from his friends and co-stars. As the investigation into the shooting continues, his family appeared on TODAY to speak out about the senseless tragedy.
Wactor’s mother, Scarlett, sat with her sons, Lance and Grant, on a video call as they spoke with reporter Morgan Chesky via a video call. After working late at his second job at a downtown L.A. bar, he was walking with a co-worker when he saw a man by his car. “Johnny thought that he was being towed,” Scarlett explained. “He said, ‘Hey man, you’re towing my car.’ And when the person looked up they had on a mask and Johnny stepped in front of the co-worker and was shot.”
Scarlett admitted that knowing her son’s last act was to protect the life of someone else is comforting. “I mean, you know, I use the word hero,” she said, “and I’m thankful that person is okay. And that when he died, he wasn’t alone.”
She also shared additional details about the crime, that there were three men who were trying to steal the catalytic converter off of Wactor’s Toyota Prius, which is sought after by thieves because of the valuable metals contained within.
Naturally, the family hopes that the killers are found and brought to justice. “I think they are cowards,” Scarlett declared. “And as a parent, you never expect to bury a child.”
Johnny Wactor‘s ex-fiancée, Tessa Farrell, is grieving the loss of her former lover.
On Monday, May 27, The Madness Within actress shared an emotional video to TikTok addressing the General Hospital star’s death after he was fatally shot in downtown Los Angeles during a suspected car theft two days prior.
“It’s hard to really think right now. My nose is really swollen. I’ve been crying a lot,” Farrell admitted to her followers before noting what happened to Wactor was “not OK” and “can’t keep happening.”
“So many lives are being lost and just us not being smart. We have to be smarter as a community,” she continued. “We have to stop being so mean to each other. Let’s love each other. Let’s not steal.”
The Barbee Rehab actress proceeded to gush over how “fun” her ex-fiancé was, calling him “such a bright soul” who “lit up the room.”
“He always sought to improve himself,” she mentioned. “He was so selfless.”
Wactor proved his selfless persona on Saturday, May 25, when he shielded his female coworker from gunfire when he was struck and killed after his bartending shift.
Although he died too soon, Farrell noted Wactor “will forever be a huge part of my journey as a human being.”
The former couple “met in 2013” after Farrell and Wactor both “moved out to Hollywood to pursue acting.”
Continuing to personally address the individuals who killed Wactor, Farrell snubbed, “I know the job market’s hard but we’re all in it together. You don’t have to steal — especially take a life over it.”
“Human life is disregarded too easy,” she admitted, insisting the world needs to “make changes as a community” and “support each other.”
“Maybe that’s what Johnny’s gift is for us, maybe he’s gifting that to all of us,” she suggested, as tears streamed down her face.
