Robert Kelker-Kelly, ‘Days of Our Lives’ Actor, Dies at 62 — SkimNews
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- Robert Kelker-Kelly died Saturday in St. Peters, Missouri, at age 62, after reportedly complaining of chest pain before becoming unresponsive; police said the circumstances appeared consistent with a medical event
- Kelker-Kelly took over the role of Bo Brady on 'Days of Our Lives' in 1992, replacing Peter Reckell and playing opposite Kristian Alfonso's Hope Brady and Lisa Rinna's Billie Reed until Reckell returned to the role in 1995
- Lisa Rinna described a difficult working relationship with Kelker-Kelly in her memoir 'You Better Believe I'm Gonna Talk About It,' saying the on-screen love interests did not get along in real life despite filming 'every day, often half naked'
- Kelker-Kelly and Rinna won the 1995 Soap Opera Digest Award for Hottest Soap Couple and both exited the show that same year
- Kelker-Kelly married Miriam Parrish in 1997, left Los Angeles and acting behind, earned an airframe and powerplant mechanics certification, taught acting at Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School from 2002 to 2003, and became a professional pilot
- Kelker-Kelly also played Stavros Cassadine on 'General Hospital' in 2001 with additional guest spots in 2002, 2003, 2013 and 2014, and appeared in films including 'Dream for an Insomniac' and 'Mr. Write'
- Kelker-Kelly was still actively teaching and flying at the time of his death
Why it matters: Kelker-Kelly's three-year run as Bo Brady bridged one of daytime TV's most iconic roles between its two best-known actors, and his 1995 Soap Opera Digest Award with Rinna made the pairing a fan favorite even as their off-screen relationship frayed. His subsequent exit from Hollywood for a career as a certified mechanic and commercial pilot — a second act he maintained until death — quietly answers the question most soap obituaries skip.
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