Robert Kelker-Kelly complained of chest pain shortly before becoming unresponsive at his Missouri home, according to police. The former Days of Our Lives actor died at 62.
Officers and paramedics were called to his home in St. Peters, a suburb of St. Louis, at around 8:15 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3.
Lt. Melissa Doss of the St. Peters Police Department told Entertainment Weekly that nothing suspicious was noted at the scene and that the circumstances appeared consistent with a medical event.
The emergency was dispatched as a cardiac arrest, but officials have not announced an underlying cause of death.
Emergency Crews Continued CPR at the Scene
Dispatch audio obtained by TMZ indicated that Kelker-Kelly had been found in bed and that the caller could not move him. CPR was already underway while police and emergency medical personnel were responding.
St. Charles County Ambulance District paramedics initiated advanced life-support measures, according to Us Weekly. They were unable to revive him and pronounced him dead at the scene. The medical examiner subsequently released his body to a local funeral home.
He Took Over Bo Brady From Peter Reckell
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Kelker-Kelly joined Days of Our Lives in 1992, taking over Beauregard âBoâ Brady from Peter Reckell, who had originated the role in 1983. He played the character until 1995, when Reckell returned.
Speaking in 1992, Kelker-Kelly said he had expected resistance from viewers attached to his predecessor, but encountered less opposition than he anticipated. He enjoyed Bo’s impulsiveness and willingness to act on his emotions.
His storylines paired him with Kristian Alfonso’s Hope Williams Brady and Lisa Rinna’s Billie Reed. The role earned him the Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in 1994. He and Rinna shared the publication’s Hottest Soap Couple honor the following year.
He Was Homeless When Another World Hired Him
Before his first soap role, Kelker-Kelly was pursuing acting in California while working as a secretary for a headhunting office. He could not afford an apartment.
In a 2013 interview with Roger Newcomb for We Love Soaps, he recalled sleeping in his Jeep or on friends’ and classmates’ floors and couches. Being cast on Another World in 1987 was a âgodsend,â he said.
He originated Sam Fowler, working opposite Sandra Ferguson as Amanda Cory, and stayed until 1990. When he returned to the NBC soap in 1996, he played a different character: Bobby Reno, who was later revealed to be Dr. Shane Roberts. That run lasted until 1998.
Days of Our Lives Meant 90-Hour Workweeks
âI was working, on average, 90 hours a week,â Kelker-Kelly told Newcomb about his Days schedule. He recalled the production shooting one or two episodes a day and the cast working through 120 pages of dialogue.
Because Bo frequently appeared shirtless, Kelker-Kelly said his routine included waking at 3 a.m. and exercising from 4 to 6 a.m. He would then head to the studio, sometimes remaining there until 8 or 9 p.m. He described repeating that schedule five days a week.
General Hospital Cast Him as Stavros Cassadine
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Kelker-Kelly joined General Hospital in 2001 as Stavros Cassadine, the dangerous son of Mikkos and Helena Cassadine. The character had been presumed dead before a storyline revealed that he had been kept alive through cryogenic preservation.
His later appearances included returns in 2002, 2003, 2013 and 2014, according to Soap Opera Digest. Stavros became his final television role.
Kelker-Kelly described General Hospital as his best experience working on a soap in the Newcomb interview. He praised the actors, writers, directors and crew, remembering the production as a welcoming place to work.
Rinna Described Their Working Relationship in Her Memoir
In her 2026 memoir, You Better Believe I’m Gonna Talk About It, Rinna described their offscreen relationship as hostile. According to Page Six, she accused Kelker-Kelly of verbal abuse, manipulation and giving her the silent treatment when she did not do what he wanted.
She also alleged that NBC provided security for her and Alfonso for three weeks after his departure. Rinna wrote that she had not been worried about physical harm, but said guards were stationed outside their homes and trailers and they were driven to and from work.
PEOPLE reported in February that Kelker-Kelly had not responded to its request for comment on her allegations.
His Flying Career Overlapped His Later Acting Work
By the time of his 2013 interview with Newcomb, Kelker-Kelly was working as a charter pilot out of Spirit of St. Louis Airport in Missouri. He flew Learjet 60s and also worked as a flight instructor.
He continued offering occasional private acting lessons, including monologue coaching. âI’m living in the Midwest,â he told Newcomb. âAnd I’m a dad.â