Nick Benedict, a renowned actor celebrated for his roles on ‘All My Children‘ and ‘Day of Our Lives‘, has passed away at the age of 76.
Confirmation of his death came through an online obituary, revealing that the actor passed away on July 14.
The news was also shared on July 15 via a Facebook post by Jake’s Steakhouse in Tehachapi, California, where Nick Benedict’s wife, Ginger, is employed.
The poignant caption in the post stated: “Nick Benedict’s birthday was July 14. He went to be with the Lord this day. Please pray for Ginger.”
So far, the cause of Nick’s death has not been made public.
In addition to confirming the talented actor’s passing, the same Facebook post shared a GoFundMe page that had been set up for the couple shortly before his death. The page mentioned that Nick underwent emergency spinal cord surgery on July 2 and was later admitted to hospice care.
The information on the page read: “Nick Benedict was in the Navy, an actor, musician, and painter. Ginger and Nick have been married for 22 years. Both have been part of the Tehachapi community for many years. On July 2nd, Sunday Nick had emergency spinal cord surgery. On July 4th he was admitted to hospice. He is paralyzed from the neck down. He will need constant care and support.”
It continued: “They live in Arizona and Ginger travels back and forth. To say this is a stressful situation is not saying enough.”
Nick had a notable stint on ‘All My Children‘ from 1973 to 1977, portraying the character of Phil Brent, one of Erica Kane’s (Susan Lucci) husbands – a role that earned him a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series in 1979.
He continued his soap opera stint throughout the 1980s and 1990s – appearing in popular series like ‘graced other soap operas such as ‘The Young and the Restless‘ (where he played Victor’s enemy, Michael Scott) and ‘Days of Our Lives‘ (where he played Curtis Reed). Nick also appeared on ‘Santa Barbara‘.
Outside of soap operas, Nick had acting credits in ‘The Dukes of Hazzard‘, ‘The Fall Guy‘, and ‘Knots Landing‘, as per his IMDb page.
In a 1993 interview with the Times and Democrat, Nick shared that he temporarily stepped away from acting after the passing of his father, Richard Benedict, who was an actor and director himself. During that period, Nick managed a contracting business and performed in nightclubs with various bands.
When asked in the interview about his decision to return to acting following the hiatus, he simply stated: “It’s just like riding a bike. Once you learn, you never forget.”
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Nick Benedict’s family, friends, and fans at this difficult time.
