Billy Miller, the Emmy-winning actor who starred on "General Hospital" and "The Young and the Restless" as well as appearing in a number of TV shows and movies, died Friday in Austin, Texas at age 43 while struggling with manic depression.
“The actor was struggling with manic depression when he died,” Miller's manager said in a statement to Variety.
Miller's mother Patricia also released a statement on X about his death.
“He fought a long hard valiant battle with bipolar depression for years,” she wrote. “He did everything he could to control the disease. He loved his family, his friends and his fans but in the end the disease won the fight and he surrendered his life. The other causes of death being told are not true. I wish they were but they just aren’t. We all loved him so much and are desperately trying to deal with our loss. I will have nothing further to say. Thanks for the love and support.”
Miller grew up in Texas and battled a rare medical condition during his childhood that affected the cartilage in his ankles.
He got his start in the entertainment industry when he was signed as a model with Wilhemina, and made the jump to "All My Children" in 2007.
He soon moved to "The Young and the Restless," where he earned three Daytime Emmys for portraying Billy Abbott. Two of the awards were for outstanding supporting actor, and one was for outstanding lead actor.
In 2014, he transitioned to "General Hospital," where he stayed until 2019.
He also had roles on the TV shows "Suits (5 episodes)," “NCIS,” “The Rookie,” “Truth Be Told,” “Major Crimes,” “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” “Castle” and “Enormous.”
He had featured roles in Clint Eastwood’s 2014 war drama “American Sniper” and Craig Brewer’s 2016 “Urban Cowboy” TV movie.
Bipolar disorder, formerly known as manic depression, is a mental health condition characterized by extreme highs and lows in people's moods.
The depression experienced during lows has often led to suicide attempts when not properly treated.
Even when the condition is diagnosed and known, people often stop taking their medications in the months or years between episodes, when everything seems to be fine and they forget what the extremes are like.
There is help for people feeling symptoms of depression and having thoughts of suicide. A suicide hotline is available 24 hours a day by calling or texting 988.
