'Days of Our Lives' actor Jay Pickett dies at 60 on movie set

Pickett's death was confirmed on Facebook by Jim Heffel, his co-star and fellow producer on 'Treasure Valley', co-produced alongside Travis Mills

Hollywood's rugged star, Jay Pickett, known for his work on the daytime soap operas 'Days of Our Lives', 'Port Charles' and 'General Hospital', died unexpectedly on Friday at the age of 60, while filming for 'Treasure Valley' in his home state of Idaho.

Pickett's death was confirmed on Facebook by Jim Heffel, his co-star and fellow producer on 'Treasure Valley', co-produced alongside Travis Mills. In the film, the actor was portraying a cowboy in search of his long-lost daughter, which he also 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,' Heffel said of Pickett, in the post.

Mills also shared a tribute to Pickett. "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," Mills wrote in a post on the film's official Facebook page Sunday.

"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 added.

Born on February 10, 1961, in Spokane, Washington, Jay Harris Pickett was raised in Caldwell, Idaho. He attended Boise State University and UCLA.

Pickett began showing up on television starting in the late '80s on shows such as 'China Beach', 'Mr. Belvedere', 'Jake and Fatman' and 'Matlock' before playing Dr. Chip Lakin on NBC's 'Days of Our Lives' from 1991-92.

He portrayed paramedic and substitute teacher Frank Scanlon on ABC's 'Port Charles' during its 1997-2003 run and Det. David Harper on ABC's 'General Hospital' from 2007-08.

Pickett also wrote, starred in and produced the 2012 feature 'Soda Springs', a Western featuring Tom Skerritt, and had guest shots on 'Dexter', 'The Mentalist', 'NCIS: Los Angeles', 'Rosewood' and 'Queen Sugar'. As per Deadline, he is survived by his wife Elena and their three children. 

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