Jay Pickett has died aged 60.
Jay Pickett
The US actor - who appeared in soap operas 'General Hospital' and 'Days of Our Lives' - passed away unexpectedly on the set of his new movie 'Treasure Valley' while preparing to shoot a scene.
Travis Mills, the movie's director, wrote on the motion picture's Facebook page: "Many of you have already heard about the tragedy that happened two days ago. Jay Pickett, our leading man, writer, producer, and creator of this movie passed away suddenly while we were on location preparing to film a scene. There is no official explanation for the cause of his death but it appears to have been a heart attack. Everyone present tried as hard as they could to keep him alive. Our hearts are broken and we grieve for his family who are so devastated by this shocking tragedy.
"As so many of us know, Jay was an incredible man. He was kind, sweet, and generous. He was one of the best actors I ever worked with and it was an honor to collaborate with him. Everyone who met him, even for the briefest moment, could feel his warmth, his wonderful spirit. It is difficult to find the words right now to say more. His closest friends have said that he was very happy making Treasure Valley and my hope is that he truly was.
"He was doing what he loved: acting, riding horses, making movies. And he was magnificent. (sic)"
Jay's 'Treasure Valley' co-star Jim Heffel paid tribute to the late star, and revealed he passed away while sitting on a horse.
He wrote: "Yesterday I lost a good friend and the world lost a great person. Jay Pickett decided to ride off into the Heavens. Jay died sitting on a horse ready to rope a steer in the movie Treasure Valley in Idaho. The way of a true cowboy. Jay wrote the story and starred in it. He was also coproducer with myself and Vernon Walker. He will be truly missed. Ride like the wind partber (sic)"
Jay was known for playing Frank Scanlon in ABC Daytime drama 'Port Charles', and he later starred as Lorenzo Alcazar - substituting for Ted King - in 'General Hospital', before appearing as Detective David Harper in the soap.
Last year, he starred in Western movie 'A Soldier's Revenge' alongside Val Kilmer and AnnaLynne McCord.