Emmy-winning actor Billy Miller dies following struggle with 'manic depression'

Billy Miller, the actor best known for his lauded work on American television such as General Hospital and his Emmy-winning role on The Young and the Restless, has sadly passed away at the age of 43, just two days before his 44th birthday.

His manager, Marnie Sparer, revealed in a public statement that Miller "was struggling with manic depression when he died".

A plethora of warm tributes have poured in for the actor including from the X/Twitter account for The Young and the Restless, which reads:

"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."

Born in Oklahoma and raised in Texas, Miller dabbled in modelling before landing his first big break in daytime television as the sinister Richie Novak on the ABC soap opera All My Children.

Miller was widely recognised for his work on American soap operas and went on to win three Daytime Emmy Awards (two for Outstanding Supporting Actor and one for Outstanding Lead Actor) for his critically acclaimed role as the rich and spoilt Billy Abbott.

The actor also received another Emmy nomination for his joint role of playing twin brothers Jason Morgan and Drew Cain in the long-running soap opera, General Hospital.

Aside from his leading roles, Miller also made relatively brief but memorable appearances in the legal dramas Suits and Truth Be Told, and Clint Eastwood's biographical war film American Sniper.

Incidentally, his Suits co-star Duchess Meghan Markle has yet to comment on the actor's passing.

However, Suits creator, Aaron Korsh, paid tribute to Miller yesterday on X, formerly known as Twitter, writing: "Very sad news for the entire Suits family. Billy Miller has passed away. I flew home once with Billy. We had a great time, bonding over the five-hour flight, which seemed like it was over in minutes."

Korsh ended his heartfelt tribute to Miller by calling the award-winning actor a "funny, smart, kind, gentle man".

Adding to the long list of mournful tributes is actor Jon Richardson, who co-starred alongside Miller in General Hospital, and described Miller as "gifted, smart, funny, and impressed me as a great friend to those close to him".

Truth Be Told star, Octavia Spencer, also wrote a touching tribute to Miller on her Instagram page, writing: "I am speechless. I'm laying here scrolling through IG and came across a post that we lost Billy Miller."

"To his family, legions of fans and our #TruthBeTold family, my deepest condolences," Spencer continued.

Outside of his successful acting career, Miller was known to have owned multiple bars and restaurants in the Los Angeles area.

According to a statement from his family's representative, he is survived by his mother, sister, and brother-in-law, as well as his niece and nephew.

The statement in question adds that Miller "leaves behind a great many friends and colleagues who will miss his warm personality, generous spirit, and genuine kindness".

As of yet, little is known about the circumstances surrounding the actor's death and the exact cause of death has not been released to the public.