Photo:Leon Bennett/WireImage; John M. Heller/Getty
Leon Bennett/WireImage; John M. Heller/Getty
Tyler Christopher’s manager Chi Lo chooses to look back on the good times.
Lo knew theGeneral Hospitalstar, who won an Emmy for his portrayal of Nikolas Cassadine, for 25 years before Christopherdiedunexpectedly on Oct. 31 at age 50.
“He discovered acting in his early 20s. He really loved, loved acting," Lo tells PEOPLE of the early days of their friendship back in 1998 when Christopher starred in his first filmCatfish in Black Bean Sauce, which Lo directed.
“He was the best person who auditioned for the job. But I didn’t want him, actually. We were very, very biased [againt] soap actors,” Lo admits. “But he was so good and he was so right for the role that I ended up casting him. He was a very dedicated actor.”
Lo notes, “To become an even better actor, he opened a theater with some friends and some of his best work was on stage.”
Matt Winkelmeyer/WireImage
Lo says he will always remember Christopher as “a great charmer, and I mean he had incredible looks. He’s one of those people I would say God is an unfair man or an unfair God — that some people get so much and some people get very little. He had a lot.”
Still, Christopher had his own struggles, having grappled with addiction for most of his adult life.
He wasarrestedfor public intoxication in May at the Hollywood Burbank Airport and was released on $250 bail. He was alsopreviously arrestedfor public intoxication in 2019.
“This is a tough business,” says Lo, who admits thatsobriety had been a challengefor his friend in the last three or four years. “I don’t think anyone’s immune to what it can do to you.”
Lo continues, “In reality, somewhere along the line, it’s the alcohol speaking. But that’s not really you. The real you is somewhere underneath there, and you’re dealing with chaos. And then it’s hard to be or remember to be ourselves.”
Maarten de Boer/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
The days immediately following Christopher’s death were challenging for Lo, who shares the Scorpio zodiac sign with his dear friend.
“A few old friends of ours called me up on the day that he passed," says Lo, “and we talked about Tyler.”
Christopher died after a cardiac event on Oct. 31 — Lo’s birthday — and on Nov. 11, Christopher, who left behindtwo children, would’ve turned 51.
Maarten de Boer/NBCUniversal via Getty
“There’s no funeraI,” he says. “I don’t know if it’s my survival mechanism or whatever it is, but I think that sometimes it’s better to recognize and to think about the good things.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
source: people.com
