'General Hospital' Star Johnny Wactor's Former Fiancée Mourns His Tragic Death

Tessa Farrell, the late Johnny Wactor's ex-fiancée, shares her profound sorrow and admiration for his heroic act, protecting a co-worker in his final moments.

"General Hospital" star Johnny Wactor's ex-fiancée, Tessa Farrell, is "completely devastated" by his death.

"I'm just kind of a little numb right now. It goes in waves," she told Fox News Digital.

Farrell said a mutual friend of hers and Wactor's broke the news to her.

"When I first heard, it was kind of like a slow build of like she was breaking the news slowly, and then you kind of don't believe it at first," Farrell said. "I was asking like, ‘Where was he shot?’ Just kind of like, don't tell me that he's not here anymore, you know? And … she said he didn't make it, so I just completely started bawling."

Johnny Wactor's ex-fiancée, Tessa Farrell, told Fox News Digital she is "completely devastated" by the actor's death. (Getty Images)

When Farrell heard Wactor had stepped in front of his co-worker during the fatal shooting, she wasn’t surprised.

"He was … a Southern gentleman. Very kind, very sweet, very strong, very grounded. Always did the right thing," she said.

Farrell described Wactor as a "Southern gentleman" who "always did the right thing." (Craig Sjodin/ABC via Getty Images)

"And even when we decided to kind of end our engagement and split because we both needed to heal and do our individual kind of discoveries as artists and people … he was really connected with the universe and God or just the inner knowing and really showed that strength for both of us. He was definitely, I would say, a gentleman, a really, really good guy all around, a great friend to people, a great actor. Just a big loss to humanity.

"I wasn’t surprised because he’s very strong and very brave. It’s just sad that he had to do that or be in that situation. It’s very noble of him. I’m very proud. It’s so sad to say that this happened to him, but he’s a very strong, strong man. So, for him being strong in that moment really goes to show, even in the face of danger, he didn’t lose sight of his inner strength and inner knowing."

His younger brother, Grant Wactor, spoke with the Daily Mail, referring to his brother as a "Southern gentleman."

"We're Southern, born and raised, and we would never let a female walk to their car by herself," he told the outlet. "He came across them, and he thought his truck was being towed. So, he said something to the guys, like, ‘Hey, are you towing?’ And then once he turned around, he saw what was happening and he put his coworker behind him. And that's when they shot him."

"He was … a Southern gentleman. Very kind, very sweet, very strong, very grounded. Always did the right thing." — Tessa Farrell, on ex-fiance Johnny Wactor

Farrell said she hasn’t spoken to Wactor’s family yet and hasn’t spoken to them in the past few years since their breakup.

"If they want to reach out, my arms are open to them, they’ll always be like family to me," she said. "I love them a lot."

The couple met through a mutual friend around 2013, starting off as friends.

"And then gradually it kind of became clear that there was more there. We had really fiery chemistry," Farrell said, adding they began dating in 2014 or 2015.

They later moved in together in 2016 and became engaged in 2017.

Wactor and Farrell began dating around 2014 and were later engaged before ending their romantic relationship in 2017. (Getty Images)

"So, it was a really fast kind of escalation into the intensity of a commitment there," Farrell said. "But this was kind of during his peak alcoholism, drinking period. So it was really challenging. But our dynamic changed the course of both of our lives. So, even though we knew we were better as friends, we still changed each other for the better, forever. So I'll always love him."

In a video shared on social media Monday, Farrell mentioned Wactor had been sober for several years.

She said she confirmed he was open about seeking treatment in AA via his Facebook page, telling Fox News Digital he would have been celebrating his seventh year of sobriety next month.

According to her, her stepdad is involved in Alcoholics Anonymous, and she recommended the program to Wactor, something he continued with after their breakup.

Farrell said Wactor would have celebrated seven years of sobriety next month. (Eric McCandless/ABC via Getty Images)

"He told me how he would go to those meetings a lot and really connect with that community and really helped others, and others have helped him. So, I'm so proud that he was able to commit to that and stay healthy. And it's great because that enabled him to perform at his best."

Wactor landed the role of Brando Corbin on "General Hospital" in 2020 and appeared in 164 episodes of the soap opera until he was written off in 2022.

During her video, Farrell said she believed "Johnny's above now, looking down. I'm so happy that I think he found happiness before he went because that was his dream in life is to be happy."

For Farrell, seeing Wactor do well and share updates on his social media confirmed he was in a good place by "just his smile."

"I could tell through his hard work in ‘General Hospital" and films that he's been kind of helping produce. And he had been working on screenwriting, and his newsletter that he started and his involvement in the community. I can just see that he did find that. And he found that through connecting with people and being disciplined with himself and doing what he says he's going to do. And I can just tell by looking at a smile that he did find his happiness."

"Even though we knew we were better as friends, we still changed each other for the better, forever. So I'll always love him." — Tessa Farrell

Wactor’s most recent credit is in the horror anthology film "Dead Talk Tales: Volume I," and his IMDb profile listed three upcoming projects for him before his death.

In a press release obtained by Fox News Digital Tuesday, the LAPD said Wactor was "confronted by three individuals" in the early hours on May 25