Exactly one year after soap vet Billy Miller's death on September 15, 2023, General Hospital star Kelly Monaco has broken her recent social media silence with a heartfelt post.
General Hospital's Kelly Monaco pays tribute to beloved late co-star
Monaco took to Instagram to share a photo of herself and Miller posing for a photo with a long-stemmed rose in each of their mouths. Alongside it, she shared a special message.
"Duces 'I’ve got your back and you always had mine' I will tell our story soon enough…. 😇🙏🏻❤️ I love and miss you… and beyond," Monaco wrote.
Former co-star Kimberly McCullough (ex-Robin Scorpio-Drake) commented, saying, "My heart goes out to you, Kelly."
This was the first time Monaco had spoken publicly since the August 26 news broke that she had been let go from GH.
Remembering Billy Miller
Miller was found dead two days shy of his 43rd birthday. In December, an autopsy report revealed that Miller had died from a gunshot wound to the head. Letters with suicidal intent were also found at the scene, according to People.
In the days after Miller's death, the actor's mother, Patricia Miller, revealed that her son had suffered from mental illness for many years.
"He fought a long, hard valiant battle with bipolar depression… but in the end, the disease won the fight and he surrendered his life," she wrote.
Miller, who got his soap start playing Richie Novak on All My Children in 2007, came to true soap fame the next year when he landed the role of Billy Abbott on The Young and the Restless. Miller remained on Y&R for six years, and during that time, he won three Daytime Emmy Awards, two in the supporting actor category and once for lead actor.
In 2014, Miller jumped ship and networks when he took on the role of a recast Jason Morgan on General Hospital. However, Steve Burton returned to GH as the real Jason in 2017. Miller's character was revealed to be Jason's never-before-heard-of identical twin brother, Drew Cain, who had undergone facial reconstruction surgery after a being struck by a car.
In 2019, Miller was written off the show. At the time, Monaco posted a cryptic tweet on X (formerly Twitter).
"I feel like I have to address this situation. #BillyMiller's untimely departure from #gh," Monaco wrote. "Honestly, I can not come up with the words to describe how I feel about this decision… a decision that may not be what our audience thinks to be true. I'm heartbroken… more to come."
Soap Central will keep you informed if Monaco speaks out more about her late co-star.