The mother of “The Young and the Restless” and “General Hospital” actor Billy Miller is setting the record straight about her son’s cause of death.
Miller, who died Friday at age 43, “surrendered his life” to bipolar depression, Patricia Miller said Monday in a statement to Soap Opera Digest.
Miller’s manager, Marnie Sparer, previously told The Times that the Daytime Emmy-winning actor had been “struggling with manic depression when he died,” although no specific cause or manner of death was disclosed at that time.
“I want to personally thank the many fans and personal friends for the overwhelming amount of love, prayers and condolences sent to me and my family on the devastating death of my beautiful son BJ — Billy Miller,” Patricia Miller’s statement said.
“He fought a long hard valiant battle with bipolar depression for years. 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,” she added.
The actor’s mother said that the other causes of death being reported “are not true.”
“I wish they were but they just aren’t,” she said. “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, who also appeared in “Suits,” “Ray Donovan” and “Castle,” was born in Tulsa, Okla., and raised in Grand Prairie, Texas. He moved to Los Angeles after graduating from the University of Texas, where he was one of just 20 students accepted into the film department’s prestigious production-sequence program.
In 2010, 2013 and 2014, he won the Daytime Emmy for lead actor in a drama series for his performance as Billy Abbott in “The Young and the Restless” — a role he played in more than 700 episodes over the course of six years.
Suicide prevention and crisis counseling resources
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, seek help from a professional and call 9-8-8. The United States’ first nationwide three-digit mental health crisis hotline 988 will connect callers with trained mental health counselors. Text “HOME” to 741741 in the U.S. and Canada to reach the Crisis Text Line.
Miller received additional Daytime Emmy nominations for his work on “Y&R,” as well as another long-running soap opera, “General Hospital.” He portrayed twin brothers Jason Morgan and Drew Cain in nearly 600 episodes spanning six years of the latter daytime drama.
“The daytime community mourns the loss of Billy Miller who graced Y&R with his talent for many years as Billy Abbott. Our deepest sympathies to his family and loved ones,” the CBS soap’s official Instagram account said in a statement posted Monday.
The entertainer also had an alternate career as a restaurateur and owned several bars and restaurants in the Los Angeles area.
Times staff writer Christi Carras contributed to this report.
