Australian actor Tristan Rogers, best known as Robert Scorpio on General Hospital, has died at 79. His longtime manager, Meryl Soodak, confirmed his passing on August 15.

Rogers joined General Hospital in 1980 and became a beloved figure in daytime TV. In July, it was revealed he had been diagnosed with lung cancer, despite never smoking. Soodak said the role of Robert Scorpio “meant everything” to him and called him a “genuinely loyal, kind human being.”