Robert Kelker-Kelly, Days of Our Lives Actor and Lisa Rinna Co-Star, Dies at 62

Robert Kelker-Kelly, the actor best known for playing Bo Brady on Days of Our Lives, has died at the age of 62.

The cause of death has not been determined, according to the Missouri medical examiner, as reported by TMZ on Monday. Kelker-Kelly was also remembered for his on-screen romance with Lisa Rinna’s character.

According to the publication, the soap star died at home after experiencing chest pain and later becoming unresponsive.

The St. Peters Police Department told TMZ that officers were called to Kelker-Kelly’s home on October 3 at approximately 8:16 p.m. following a report of “an unconscious man who was not breathing.”

CPR was already underway as police and emergency medical crews made their way to the residence, but attempts to revive him were unsuccessful. Authorities said the circumstances appeared to point to a medical emergency.

A 911 call placed before his death indicated that Kelker-Kelly had suffered cardiac arrest and was found in bed.

Kelker-Kelly became widely known for portraying Bo Brady on NBC’s long-running daytime drama Days of Our Lives. He stepped into the role, originally played by Peter Reckell, from 1992 through 1995.

Emergency dispatch audio captured the urgent response to the actor’s medical crisis before his death on Saturday.

‘Caller is unable to remove patient from bed,’ one responding officer was heard saying, in the audio obtained by Page Six.

A dispatcher said responding units were on their way and confirmed that “CPR is in progress.” Another responder reported that a 62-year-old man was unconscious and not breathing.

An automated message at the address also identified the emergency as a cardiac arrest.

Kyle Gaines, division chief and public information officer for the St. Charles County Ambulance District, told Page Six that crews had been dispatched for “an adult male patient for a cardiac arrest.”

Kelker-Kelly was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said there were no suspicious circumstances.

During his time on the soap, Bo Brady was romantically involved with Billie Reed, the character portrayed by Rinna in her breakout daytime television role.

Despite their characters’ chemistry, Rinna said earlier this year that her relationship with Kelker-Kelly off camera was deeply strained. She alleged that he made her life “a living hell” while they worked together on the long-running series.

“Behind the scenes we hated each other,” Rinna wrote in her memoir, You Better Believe I’m Gonna Talk About It, which was released in February.

Referencing comments from Kathy Hilton, Rinna wrote: “Remember when Kathy Hilton said I was the biggest bully in Hollywood? Not true. Not even close! I have legit stories about the real bullies in this town. Robert Kelker-Kelly is one of those bullies.”

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“He made my life a living hell on the set of Days. He was horrible to me. I’d go so far as to say verbally abusive. He was passive aggressive, manipulative, and played weird mind games,” she continued.

Rinna added: “I had to work with him every day, often half naked to do love scenes. If I didn’t do what he wanted, he’d give me the silent treatment.”

‘He was a ticking time bomb. I never knew when I arrived on set each morning if I’d get nice Robert Kelker-Kelly or dark Robert Kelker-Kelly. He was unpredictable and it was exhausting.’

Rinna was relieved when he abruptly left the show and was replaced by the aforementioned Reckell, who had originally played Bo Brady from 1983 to 1992. 

 She then claimed that after his exit, both she and her co-star Kristian Alfonso, who played Kelker-Kelly’s other love interest Hope Brady, were provided with a security team from NBC, although she did not think he was a threat and implied that the security was unnecessary.

‘Suddenly, one day, he disappeared from the Days set. Next thing I knew Kristian and I had our own full-time security detail,’ she alleged.

‘I wasn’t worried about physical harm, but NBC had to cover their ass. We had rent-a-cops parked outside our houses and trailers for three weeks and were driven to and from work.’

Kelker-Kelly continued his soap opera starring as Stavros Cassidine in General Hospital spin-off series Port Charles in 1997.

Years later he joined the flagship soap opera cast as the same character over 42 episodes of General Hospital from 2001 to 2014. 

He also starred in NBC soap opera Another World over 431 episodes from 1987 to 1998.

Kelker-Kelly had multiple roles on the show including as Sam Fowler, Bobby Reno, and Dr. Shane Roberts. 

Other television roles he is known for included Jack’s Place (1992), Touched by an Angel (1995), and Rescue 77 (1999). 

Kelker-Kelly did not just have acting skills but was also a professional aircraft pilot.

He worked in that field from 2003 to 2015 and type rated in the GIV, LR60, LR45, CE560 and CE500.

The actor married Linda Rattner in 1988 as they divorced in 1992 then he married actress Miriam Parrish in 1997 before ultimately divorcing in 2011.