Tristan Rogers dies at 79 General Hospital star

Australian actor Tristan Rogers, famous for Robert Scorpio on General Hospital, has died after a battle with lung cancer at age 79.

Tristan Rogers dies at 79 General Hospital star

Tristan Rogers died Friday after a battle with lung cancer. His manager Meryl Soodak confirmed the news and said he was a family man survived by his wife, two children and a grandson. Rogers was best known for bringing Robert Scorpio to life on General Hospital, where his commanding voice and confident swagger made the character a fan favorite.

Rogers joined the show in 1980 and helped shape Scorpio from his name to his risk-taking bravery. The character formed a key alliance with Luke Spencer, and a 1981 wedding episode drew about 30 million viewers, remaining a high watermark for daytime television. The show later revived Scorpio in 2006 after a dramatic on-screen revival, showing the staying power of a well-crafted soap icon. Rogers also worked on The Young and the Restless, The Bay, and Studio City, and did voice work for Disney’s The Rescuers Down Under.

Rogers’s version of Scorpio helped redefine what a daytime hero could look like. The character’s blend of bravado and vulnerability mirrored a shift in soap storytelling toward larger-than-life plots that still felt intimate to viewers. His long tenure on General Hospital illustrates how a single performer can anchor a show’s identity across decades, even as cast and formats evolve. The tribute from colleagues and fans underscores the lasting impact of a performer who made a fictional world feel real.

Highlights

The legacy of Scorpio endures in the memories of fans and the history of daytime television.