Tessa Farrell, Johnny Wactor’s ex-fiancée, is still reeling from his death.
The General Hospital alum was fatally shot by armed carjackers in Los Angeles on Saturday, May 25. He was 37 years old.
In an interview with Party tonight released on Tuesday, May 28, Farrell reflected on her and Wactor’s time together, which began after they met in 2013. She had just moved to Los Angeles with hopes of becoming an actress. The two became engaged shortly thereafter, but eventually ended their romantic relationship and were good friends when he died.
Farrell said ET Kevin Frazier that despite the breakup, she still has the engagement ring inherited from her grandparents – who were married for 50 years. She mentioned that she didn’t have a ring when she and Wactor got engaged. Instead, they let a piece of her grandparents serve as a symbol of their commitment to each other.
General Hospital Stars Commemorate Johnny Wactor after sudden death at age 37: ‘One of a kind’
“It was a really beautiful moment, and I always – I’ve had it before and I’ll always wear it because it reminds me of, you know, true love or eternal love,” Farrell said ET her decision to continue wearing the ring. “Unfortunately, it has another meaning 1717010998but, you know, I’m grateful—at least I still have it and I have memories of it.”
Farrell admitted she hadn’t fully processed Wactor’s death, noting that when she first learned he had died, she thought he had died in a climbing accident. When she was informed of what had happened, she experienced waves of shock and hope.
“I wonder: ‘Where was he shot?’ You know? ‘Where is he now? I want to, you know, go see him or help him,’ she said ET, adding from the person who called her with the news: “And she didn’t tell me at first where he was shot. She just said that he didn’t make it. And at that point, there’s nothing that I can, you know, nothing anybody can say or do that change.”
Johnny Wactor attends the movie premiere of “Silent River” at Laemmle Glendale on October 13, 2022 in Glendale, California.
Jesse Grant/Getty
Johnny Wactor’s ex-fiancée tearfully pays tribute to ‘phenomenal actor’ after his tragic death: ‘Such a bright soul’
She remembered Wactor as a “good guy,” citing reports that he was killed while trying to protect a colleague from an attacker.
“He was a very noble man and always did the right thing,” Farrell added. “And it doesn’t surprise me at all because he was a guy who would step up and do the right thing.”
She said she hopes supporters will keep Wactor’s legacy alive by “doing the right thing.”
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Wactor’s brother, Grant Wactor, told PEOPLE about the actor’s final moments on Monday, May 27. Grant said Johnny had just finished bartending around 3:25 a.m. Sunday when he and a co-worker were walking to their cars. As they got closer, Grant said his brother noticed the men near his car.
LAPD Officer Jeff Lee told PEOPLE that the three men were trying to steal the catalytic converter from Wactor’s vehicle. Wactor then stood in front of his colleague and raised his hands when he was hit. The suspects fled the scene in a car and are still on the run, Lee said.
“He was a good person,” Grant said of his brother. “They took him too soon and no one should be taken like this at all. He touched many people. He believed in his core values until the end and lived life to the fullest the way he wanted to. And he was happy doing it.”
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