Soap opera star Jay Pickett dies while filming movie in Idaho, director says
Unspecified - 1997: (L-R) Jay Pickett, Julie Pinson on 'Port Charles'. (Photo by Tom Queally /Walt Disney Television via Getty Images)
Actor Jay Pickett, best known for his roles in the soap operas "Port Charles", "General Hospital" and "Days of Our Lives", has died at the age of 60, according to the director and co-star of his latest film.
Pickett was in Idaho at the time of his death filming the movie "Treasure Valley," said the film’s director, Travis Mills.
Mills posted on the film’s Facebook page that Pickett passed away suddenly last week while the crew was on location preparing to shoot a scene.
"There is no official explanation for the cause of his death but it appears to have been a heart attack," Mills wrote. "Everyone present tried as hard as they could to keep him alive. Our hearts are broken and we grieve for his family who are so devastated by this shocking tragedy."
Pickett’s co-star Jim Heffel also shared the news on his Facebook page, along with a series of photos of the two of them on set donning their western clothes.
"Jay died sitting on a horse ready to rope a steer in the movie Treasure Valley in Idaho. The way of a true cowboy," Heffel wrote.
Heffel is listed on IMBD as the movie’s executive producer, alongside Pickett and Mills as co-producers.
"Treasure Valley" is about a cowboy who learns that his daughter may have survived a tragic fire and sets on a quest to find her. Pickett is also listed as the movie’s writer.
Pickett, who was born on Feb. 10, 1961 in Spokane, Washington, began his acting career in the 1980s with appearances on television series including Rags to Riches and China Beach. He is best known for his work portraying Frank Scanlon on Port Charles, Dr. Chip Lakin on Days of Our Lives, and Detective David Harper on General Hospital.
In addition, Pickett appeared on shows including NCIS: Los Angeles, Queen Sugar, The Mentalist and Rosewood, and starred in TV movies such as Inspired to Kill, 16 and Missing and The Perfect Student.
"He was doing what he loved: acting, riding horses, making movies. And he was magnificent," Mills said Sunday.
He is survived by his wife, Elena, and their three children.
This story was reported from Detroit. FOX News contributed.