Johnny Wactor’s ex-fiancée Tessa Farrell is keeping the actor’s memory alive by still wearing her engagement ring.
Farrell shared how the ring has taken on new meaning now, after the General Hospital star was shot and killed in Los Angeles at the age of 37, when he confronted thieves breaking into his car.
During an interview with ET’s Kevin Frazier, Farrell — who made a tearful appeal to the actor’s killers earlier in the day — was asked if the ring now holds new ‘significance.’
‘I guess so, because you know he’s gone now, and I’ll always have those memories,’ she replied.
‘It was a really beautiful moment, and I always – I had it on before and I always will have it on because it reminds me of, you know, true love or everlasting love. Sadly, it has another meaning to it 1716952762, but, you know, I’m grateful – at least I have it still and I have memories of him.’
Johnny Wactor’s ex-fiancée Tessa Farrell is keeping the actor’s memory alive by still wearing her engagement ring; She is seen with the ring in a video posted to her Instagram on Tuesday
Farrell shared how the ring has taken on new meaning now, after the General Hospital star was shot and killed in Los Angeles at 37 during a car robbery; Wactor pictured in 2023
The engagement ring was a family heirloom from her own grandparents, who were together for 50 years.
Farrell explained that when she and Wactor decided to get engaged, they didn’t have a traditional ring, but decided to use a piece of jewelry that she already had and was meaningful to her.
She revealed she was first told about his death by a mutual friend over the weekend, and believed something happened to him while he was rock climbing.
After she was told what happened over the phone, she still hoped he might be alive. ‘I’m like, “Where did he get shot?” You know? “Where is he right now? I wanna, you know, go see him or help.” And she didn’t tell me initially where he got shot.’
‘She just said he didn’t make it. And at that point, there’s nothing I can, you know, nothing no one can say or do to change that.’
Earlier in the day it was revealed that Johnny was shielding a female co-worker from armed car thieves when he was shot dead, and Farrell was not surprised to hear of the brave act.
‘He was a very noble man and always did the right thing. And I’m not surprised by that at all because he was kind of the guy that would step up and do the right thing.’
Farrell broke down in tears on Monday as she made an appeal to Wactor’s killers after they ‘shot the wrong guy’ in a clip shared to her Instagram.
Wactor, who starred as Brando Corbin in long-running soap General Hospital, was shot dead Saturday.
During an interview with ET’s Kevin Frazier, she was asked if the ring has taken on new significance. ‘I guess so, because he’s gone now, and I’ll always have those memories,’ she said
‘I had it on before and I always will have it on because it reminds me of true love or everlasting love. Sadly, it has another meaning to it now, but, you know, I’m grateful’, she added
His heartbroken ex shared a video online slamming the ‘criminals’ who ended his life and called for stricter legislation to combat crime, which is continuing to skyrocket across the LA area.
‘If the person who did this, if you’re watching, I’m sorry, but you shot the wrong guy,’ Farrell said through her tears. ‘You can get a real job. I know the job market’s hard but we’re all in it together. You don’t have to steal – especially take a life over it.’
She said ‘human life is disregarded too easy’ and argued that it is time we ‘make changes as a community’ and ‘support each other’, adding: ‘Maybe that’s what Johnny’s gift is for us, maybe he’s gifting that to all of us.’
Wactor was shot around 3am when he interrupted three men stealing the catalytic converter from his car, his family has said.
He had left work at a rooftop bar with a co-worker when he saw someone at his car and thought it was being towed.
He was shot by a masked suspect as he approached thieves. Three suspects drove away from the scene. Wactor was rushed to a hospital, where he died. There were no arrests as of late on Sunday.
Farrell, who says she met Wactor back in 2013 after she moved to LA, launched an appeal on social media Monday night asking the community to help ‘find these killers’.
‘These criminals can’t keep being on the street and they can’t keep being sent back and have no repercussions for their actions,’ Farrell said.
The engagement ring was a family heirloom from her own grandparents. Farrell explained that when she and Wactor decided to get engaged, they didn’t have a traditional ring, but decided to use a piece of jewelry that she already had and was meaningful to her; Seen in 2023
Farrell, whom says she met Wactor (pictured) back in 2013 after she moved to LA, has now launched an appeal on social media asking the community to help ‘find these killers’
‘It’s not ok, this can’t keep happening. So many lives are being lost, just us not being smart – we have to be smarter as a community.’
Paying tribute to Wactor, whom she described as a ‘bright soul to this world’, Farrell shared how he was an advocate for justice and asked others to follow in his footsteps.
‘We can’t keep losing things like this because people are afraid to stand up and do what’s right. Johnny stood up and did what’s right all the time. So let’s be like Johnny and stand up and do what’s right,’ she said.
She also spoke directly to Wactor, thanking him for the impact he has had on her life and revealing that ‘he will forever be a huge part of my journey as a human being’.
Farell said: ‘Johnny if you’re watching from above, I love you very much and I’m very proud of you for the person you’ve become and the obstacles you’ve overcame.
‘You’ve forever inspired in my work and what I do and I wouldn’t be here without what you taught me. So thank you, Johnny. I love you. I miss you.
‘I hope those last moments were okay for you and I’m glad someone was with you.’
She then turned her attention to the person who witnessed his death saying, ‘I am so sorry you’re in this situation.
Wactor had left work at a rooftop bar with a co-worker around 3am Saturday when he saw someone at his car and thought it was being towed. He was shot by a masked suspect as he approached thieves; He is pictured in 2013
Three suspects drove away from the scene. Wactor was rushed to a hospital, where he died. There were no arrests as of late on Sunday; Emergency personnel are pictured at the scene
‘I can’t even imagine what it’s like to have been the one right there. You must be so scared and so sad. But if you need someone to talk to, you can talk to me.’
The actress also shared some insight into her relationship with Wactor, whom she claims ‘just lit up the room’ and despite his ‘human flaws’, ‘always sought to improve himself’.
‘We met in 2013 when I first moved out to Hollywood to pursue acting and he did too. We were friends at first and then kind of fell in love,’ Farrell revealed.
‘It was really fiery, like too fiery – we brought out the best in each other and then also the darkest parts of each other. Our lives were both forever changed.’
She shared how the couple had to ‘let each other go romantically’, claiming they were ‘just better as friends’, but said: ‘I will always love him.’
‘But it was rushed. We were too young and kids and healing – but I’m just so proud of the man he’s become and it’s so sad that crime in LA had to do this.’
She added: ‘It’s so sad that, you know, that this is how he had to get taken from us because he cared so much about doing the right thing and earning things. He taught me that.’
Farrell, branding her former partner as an ‘awesome human being’, said that although they hadn’t seen each other in awhile she knew that Wactor had ‘been doing well’ and was ‘really loved’.
She said that Wactor ‘found sobriety’ after their relationship, sharing how ‘I was able to guide him to AA and he was there for the rest of his life and sober and proud’.
Farrell also said she was proud of Wactor for landing his ‘amazing’ role on General Hospital and described him as a ‘phenomenal actor’.
‘We stayed in touch after we broke up sometimes and I got to see him kind of prepare for some of his scenes for General Hospital and oh my god. This man was like a machine,’ she said of Wactor.
Wactor appeared on over 160 episodes of General Hospital as the character Brando Corbin from 2020 to 2022. He is pictured in the show alongside actress Laura Wright
‘Johnny’s above now and looking down and I’m so happy that I think he found happiness before he went because that was his dream in life, is to be happy.’
Wactor appeared on over 160 episodes of General Hospital as the character Brando Corbin from 2020 to 2022.
The actor was also a series regular on the 2013 NBC drama series Siberia, which lasted 11 episodes. He did multi-episode arcs on TV shows like The OA, The Passenger, Westworld and Hollywood Girl.
His first break into television came in a three-episode guest role on the Lifetime series Army Wives.
He had also branched out into producing; his IMDb page has three upcoming projects listed. Wactor also wrote a short film called Broken Riders.
Wactor’s most recent work was in the horror anthology Dead Talk Tales: Volume I released earlier this year.
