Tristan Rogers, longtime ‘General Hospital’ star, dies at 79

Australian actor Tristan Rogers, best known for his long-running, off-and-on portrayal of Robert Scorpio on the ABC soap “General Hospital,” died Friday at age 79.

His death — confirmed to ABC7 by manager Meryl Soodak — comes about a month after his publicist announced the actor had been diagnosed with cancer.

Soodak told ABC7 Rogers died of lung cancer, while noting he had never been a smoker.

“He loved being Scorpio and he created that role from nothing,” Soodak told the station. “He was supposed to work a day and he ended up making it into something huge. He was just a genuinely loyal, kind human being and he loved his family.”

A native of Melbourne, Australia, Rogers originally portrayed Scorpio on “General Hospital” from 1980 to 1992, when his character was killed off. In true soap opera style, however, he returned to the role a few years later in spirit form, then appeared again in the flesh in 2006 and continued to do so sporadically over the years.

Rogers also briefly appeared on “The Young and the Restless.”

He lent his voice to the animated film “The Rescuers Down Under” and also appeared in series such as “Fast Track,” “The Bay” and “Studio City.”

Rogers is survived by his wife, Teresa Parkerson, and their adult children, Sara and Cale.

–City News Service