Days of Our Lives Actor Robert Kelker-Kelly Died of Coronary Artery Disease

Robert Kelker-Kelly, the actor who played Bo Brady on Days of Our Lives, died of heart disease, according to the Office of the Regional Medical Examiner in St. Charles, Missouri. Deadline reported the finding on October 29, 2026, citing People's report of the examiner's findings. The examiner ruled his death natural.

The condition is known as arteriosclerotic heart disease, or coronary artery disease. It happens when the arteries that supply blood to the heart harden and narrow over time.

Kelker-Kelly was 62. He died on October 3 at his home in St. Peters, Missouri. Police responded to a report of an unconscious man who was not breathing. Paramedics tried life-saving measures, but he was pronounced dead at 9:09 p.m.

Before he became unresponsive, he had complained of chest pain. People, citing a St. Peters Police Department report, said he had also felt pain in his arm and chest in the hours before he died. When People first reported his death in early October, it said the cause had not been disclosed.

Kelker-Kelly began acting in 1987, playing Sam Fowler on NBC's Another World until 1990. He then took over the role of Bo Brady on Days of Our Lives from Peter Reckell. He played the part opposite Kristian Alfonso and Lisa Rinna until Reckell returned in 1995.

In 1996 he went back to Another World as Bobby Reno, a character later revealed to be Dr. Shane Roberts. He stayed in the role until 1998. In 2001 he played Stavros Cassadine on ABC's General Hospital, and he made guest appearances in the role from 2002 to 2014.

Acting was not his only working life. From 2003 to 2015, he worked as a professional pilot. Those years went on alongside his television work, which covered three long-running daytime dramas.

Fans who followed his characters across three soap operas now have a clear answer about how he died.