Robert Kelker-Kelly, who played Bo Brady on “Days of Our Lives,” has died at 62. He died Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, at his home in St. Peters, Mo., Fox News reported, citing the Missouri medical examiner’s office. A cause of death has not been officially announced.
What Police and Dispatchers Said
St. Peters police were called to the house at about 8:16 p.m. for an unconscious man who was not breathing. Police said Kelker-Kelly complained of chest pain shortly before he became unresponsive, that nothing suspicious was noted at the scene, and that the circumstances appeared consistent with a medical event. Officers and paramedics tried to save him without success.
According to 911 audio cited by The Daily Beast, he was found unresponsive in bed, and the caller said he could not be moved from the bed while CPR was under way.
Conflicting Word on the Cause
A medical examiner’s office spokesperson told The Sun that he died of natural causes and that no toxicology testing was ordered because drugs and alcohol were not suspected, The Daily Beast reported. Other outlets said as of Oct. 6 that no cause had been announced. The medical examiner released his body to a local funeral home.
Soap Roles That Made Him a Star
Born April 18, 1964, in Wichita, Kan., Kelker-Kelly debuted in 1987 as artist Sam Fowler on NBC’s “Another World,” a role he played until 1990. He returned to the show from 1996 to 1998 as race car driver Bobby Reno, who was later revealed to be Dr. Shane Roberts.
In 1992, he took over the part of Bo Brady on “Days of Our Lives” from Peter Reckell and held it until 1995, when Reckell returned. He won the Soap Opera Digest Award for outstanding lead actor in 1994, and he and Lisa Rinna, who played Billie Reed, shared the hottest soap couple honor in 1995.
He also played the villain Stavros Cassadine on “General Hospital” from 2001 to 2003 and again in 2013 and 2014. Other credits include “Jack’s Place,” “Touched by an Angel,” “Maybe This Time” and “Rescue 77.” He later worked as a professional pilot.
Life Away From the Screen
Kelker-Kelly was married to Linda Rattner from 1988 until their divorce in 1992. He married Miriam Parrish in 1997, and that marriage also ended in divorce.
A Memoir and a Tribute
In her 2026 memoir, “You Better Believe I’m Gonna Talk About It,” Rinna wrote that the two “hated each other” behind the scenes. She called Kelker-Kelly “verbally abusive” and “a ticking time bomb” and said he played “weird mind games.” These are Rinna’s claims, and the memoir came out earlier in 2026.
His “Another World” co-star Sandra Dee Robinson, who played Amanda Cory opposite his Sam, said in an Instagram tribute reported by SheKnows on Oct. 6 that it was “certainly a shock” to hear of his death. She said it “was not always an easy time working together on that show,” but that they later laughed together on calls about life.