The mother of late General Hospital star Billy Miller said that he died at the age of 43 via suicide.
The soap opera actor and three-time Daytime Emmy winner, who also starred on The Young and the Restless, died on Friday in Austin, Texas, as reported by soap opera journalist Michael Fairman.
Patricia Miller issued a statement to Soap Opera Digest Monday to clear up rumors circulating about her son’s passing.
‘He fought a long hard valiant battle with bipolar depression for years,’ Patricia said of her late son. ‘He did everything he could to control the disease. He loved his family, his friends and his fans but in the end the disease won the fight and he surrendered his life.
She added that ‘the other causes of death being told are not true,’ as his cause of death had been the subject of speculation on a number of fan blogs, adding, ‘I wish they were but they just aren’t.’Â
Gone too soon: The mother of late General Hospital star Billy Miller said that he died at the age of 43 via suicide; he is pictured in 2019 in LA
Patricia said she was grateful for the kind response she received from fans in the wake of her son’s tragic passing.
‘I want to personally thank the many fans & personal friends for the overwhelming amount of love, prayers & condolences sent to me and my family on the devastating death of my beautiful son BJ – Billy Miller,’ she said.
Patricia continued: ‘We all loved him so much and are desperately trying to deal with our loss. I will have nothing further to say.’
She wrapped up in saying, ‘Thanks for the love and support.’
Reps for the actor previously claimed he was struggling with ‘manic depression’ at the time of his death as per TMZ.Â
The actor’s death came just two days prior to this 44th birthday. Miller is survived by his mother, Patricia, and his sister, Megan.
DailyMail.com has reached out to representatives for Miller.Â
Struggle with depression: A cause of death has not yet been revealed, though reps for the actor claimed he was struggling with ‘manic depression’ at the time of his death as per TMZ; seen in a still from General HospitalÂ
His death was confirmed by someone at The Belmont, a restaurant and bar in Los Angeles, California that Miller co-owned, according to Fairman.Â
Oklahoma-born Miller worked in the mailroom at Industry Entertainment before being signed as a model to Wilhelmina.Â
He had graduated with a communications degree at the University of Texas before moving to Los Angeles.Â
He got his start in the entertainment industry after landing a role on the popular soap opera All My Children, playing Richie Novak.Â
He then joined the cast of The Young and the Restless in 2008, playing the fourth iteration of Billy Abbott.
Miller left the show in 2014.
He received three Daytime Emmys for the role: two for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series and one for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.
Miller joined the cast of General Hospital in 2014.
He played Jason Morgan and Drew Cain and was a series regular until 2019.
Sad: The actor’s death came just two days prior to this 44th birthday. Miller is survived by his mother, Patricia, and his sister, Megan; seen in a still from General Hospital
Tribute: Octavia Spencer, who co-starred alongside Billy in TV series Truth Be Told, shared a tribute to the actor following the news of his passing
Claim to fame: The soap opera actor and three-time Daytime Emmy winner famously starred on General Hospital and The Young and the Restless; he is seen in 2009
Successful: He received three Daytime Emmys for his role of Billy Abbott on The Young and the Restless; Pictured at the 40th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards in 2013
As he was: Prior to his acting career, Oklahoma-born Miller worked in the mailroom at Industry Entertainment before being signed as a model to Wilhelmina; seen 2009
Miller also had credits in Showtime’s Ray Donovan, Meghan Markle’s show Suits, and Apple TV+’s Truth Be Told.Â
Tributes from fans poured in on social media following the news of his passing.
Actress Octavia Spencer, who co-starred alongside Billy in TV series Truth Be Told, shared a tribute to the actor on Instagram.
‘I am speechless. I’m laying here scrolling through IG and came across a post that we lost Billy Miller. To his family, legions of fans, and our #TruthBeTold family my deepest condolences,’ she wrote underneath a photo of the actor.
‘I am so sad to learn of Billy Miller passing. I loved watching him on all my children young and the restless and general hospital. May he rest in peace,’ another person wrote on Twitter.
‘A real loss to the genre, just so sad,’ yet another fan added.
