TV actor Jay Pickett, of ‘General Hospital’ and ‘Days of Our Lives’, dies at 60

Jay Pickett, an actor known for his stint on daytime soap operas such as ‘Days of Our Lives’, ‘Port Charles’ and ‘General Hospital’, died Friday while making a movie in his home state of Idaho. He was 60.

Pickett’s death was announced on Facebook by Jim Heffel, his co-star and fellow producer on ‘Treasure Valley’. Pickett was portraying a cowboy in search of his long-lost daughter in the movie, which he also wrote.

“I lost a good friend and the world lost a great person,” Heffel wrote. “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.”

The cause of death seems to have been a heart attack.

Travis Mills, another ‘Treasure Valley’ producer, wrote Sunday on Facebook that “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.”

“He was doing what he loved: acting, riding horses, making movies. And he was magnificent,” he added.