Medical examiner says the longtime soap actor died naturally from arteriosclerotic heart disease after experiencing chest and arm pain at his Missouri home.
Robert Kelker-Kelly, the veteran daytime television actor known for playing Bo Brady on Days of Our Lives, died October 3 at his home in St. Peters, Missouri. He was 62, and the Office of the Regional Medical Examiner in St. Charles later determined that he died from arteriosclerotic heart disease.
The medical examiner ruled the manner of death natural, according to reports published October 29. Kelker-Kelly had experienced chest and left-arm pain shortly before his death, according to a St. Peters Police Department incident report obtained by multiple news organizations.
His wife, Allison Kelly, told police that she picked him up from Spirit of St. Louis Airport at about 7:30 p.m. that evening. During the drive home, he complained of pain in his left arm and chest and asked her to stop the vehicle so he could vomit.
Kelly asked her husband whether he wanted to go to a hospital, but he declined and asked to return home so he could lie down. After arriving home, he changed clothes and went to bed, but the pain continued.
Kelker-Kelly then asked his wife to bring him an aspirin. When she returned to the bedroom, she found him unresponsive and not breathing, according to the police report.
Kelly called 911 and began CPR while emergency crews were on the way. Paramedics from the St. Charles County Ambulance District attempted advanced lifesaving measures, but Kelker-Kelly was pronounced dead at 9:09 p.m.
Police said they found nothing suspicious at the scene and described the circumstances as consistent with a medical event. Kelly told investigators that her husband had no known medical conditions and was not taking prescription medication, according to reports based on the incident record.
Arteriosclerotic heart disease involves narrowing or hardening of arteries that can reduce blood flow to the heart. The Mayo Clinic says coronary artery disease commonly develops as plaque builds inside coronary arteries, while the American Heart Association lists chest discomfort, arm pain, nausea and vomiting among possible warning signs of a heart attack.
Kelker-Kelly was born April 18, 1964, and became a familiar face to daytime television audiences beginning in the late 1980s. He made his soap-opera debut in 1987 as Sam Fowler on Another World, where he later returned in a different role as Bobby Reno, also known as Dr. Shane Roberts.
He joined Days of Our Lives in 1992 as Bo Brady, taking over the established role from Peter Reckell. Kelker-Kelly remained with the NBC soap until 1995, when Reckell returned to the character.
During his time on Days of Our Lives, Kelker-Kelly appeared opposite Kristian Alfonso as Hope Brady and Lisa Rinna as Billie Reed. His work on the series helped make him one of the recognizable male stars of daytime television during the early 1990s.
He later played Stavros Cassadine on General Hospital, first appearing in the role in 2001. Kelker-Kelly returned for additional appearances in 2002 and 2003, then reprised Stavros in 2013 and 2014 as part of later storylines.
His television work also included appearances on Touched by an Angel, Rescue 77 and other programs. After stepping away from regular acting work, Kelker-Kelly worked professionally as a pilot.
Following his death, former Another World co-star Sandra Dee Robinson remembered the actor and reflected on the attention their storyline received when they were young performers. She wrote that their time working together had not always been easy but said they later laughed together about life during phone conversations.
Kelker-Kelly had also been the subject of allegations published earlier in 2026 by Lisa Rinna in her memoir, You Better Believe I’m Gonna Talk About It. Rinna alleged that he was verbally abusive, passive-aggressive and manipulative toward her while they worked together on Days of Our Lives.
Those claims were Rinna’s account of their working relationship and were not independently established as fact. Reports published when the memoir was released said Kelker-Kelly did not publicly respond to the allegations.
Kelker-Kelly’s death came more than three decades after his run as Bo Brady made him a prominent figure in daytime drama. His final television appearances as Stavros Cassadine aired in 2014, closing a career that included recurring roles on three major American soap operas.
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