Wactor appeared on over 160 episodes of General Hospital as the character Brando Corbin from 2020 to 2022.
General Hospital actor Johnny Wactor saved the life of his female co-worker by putting his body in the way when armed car thieves fatally shot him while trying to steal his catalytic converter in Loa Angeles on Saturday.
Wactor, 37, who appeared in 164 episodes of the soap opera from 2020 to 2022, was leaving his side job at a rooftop bar with a female colleague at around 3:25am Saturday in the area of West Pico Boulevard and South Hope Street, when he saw the three men near his vehicle.
Believing he was being towed, he approached the men to try to discuss it. One of the men then looked up and pointed a gun at Wactor, who put his body in front of his female co-worker as he was shot. The three men, who police say were all wearing masks, then fled the scene in another car.
Wactor was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later. The suspects remain at large.
Johnny’s younger brother Grant confirmed his death and said it didn’t surprise him to hear his sibling was putting others first at the time.
Grant said that they were raised as ‘southern gentleman’, and his brother’s last act was one of bravery.
‘We’re Southern, born and raised, and we would never let a female walk to their car by herself,’ he said.
‘He came across them and he thought his truck was being towed. So he said something to the guys, like, ‘Hey, are you towing?
‘And then once he turned around, he saw what was happening and he put his coworker behind him. And that’s when they shot him.’
Grant confirmed that Johnny was shot in the chest as he came upon the suspects who were trying to steal the catalytic converter.
He added that the cops told him Johnny did not attempt to fight the car thieves, but the actor was backing away and trying to protect his friend when the shot was fired.
Johnny’s grandmother Barbara said he often picked up side gigs as a bartender. Neither she nor Grant knew which bar he was working that night.
Grant said Johnny and his co-worker had to park about two blocks from the restaurant, so they were walking to their cars after they finished their shift.
That area in Downtown LA is called South Park, near several trendy hotels and multimillion dollar residential high-rises.
He paid a solemn tribute to his brother and noted that working a side job was part of his nature.
‘My brother was probably the hardest working person I’ve ever met in my life. He was a great brother and son,’ Grant said.
‘Anyone he touched, he made a great impact. He was as charismatic in real life as he was on camera. And he was always genuine, through and through.’
Grant, naturally, hopes that the men who killed Johnny are brought to justice.
‘I hope they are able to track the people who did this. I am glad in a way that this is getting the publicity so that it could shed some light that things need to change, or find ways so that no one else has to experience this – whether it be a murder or being at the wrong place at the wrong time.’
Johnny was the oldest of three boys while Grant is the youngest.
Culled from Dailymail