The Tuesday, August 17 episode of “General Hospital” concluded with a tribute card to the late Jay Pickett who portrayed Frank Scanlon on “Port Charles” from 1997-2003. It read, “In Loving Memory of Jay Pickett.”
Pickett died on Friday, July 30 of an apparent heart attack while filming a horseback riding scene in Idaho for his latest western, “Treasure Valley.” He was just 60 years old.
A celebration of life memorial service will be held on Friday, August 20 starting at 3:00 p.m. at the Nampa Civic Center. A live stream of the service will be made available through the Nampa Funeral Home website from 4:45 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. EDT.
Pickett joined the cast of “GH” in 2006 as a temporary recast for the character Lorenzo Alcazar. Due to high interest, he returned to the soap, this time as Detective David Harper from 2007-2008.
Appearing in numerous primetime TV shows including “The Mentalist,” “NCIS: Los Angeles” and “Queen Sugar,” just to name a few, Pickett found his niche starring in several westerns, including the recently completed “Heart of the Gun,” “Catch the Bullet” and “A Soldier’s Revenge.” He had two other projects that are reportedly in the post-production phase with
According to an obituary posted on his Facebook page, Pickett is survived by his wife, Elena, his children, Maegan, Ashley (daughter-in-law), Michaela, and Tyler, his four siblings and spouses, Dee Pickett (Brenda), Rich Pickett (Rhonda), Ginna Maggard (John), and Jan Larison (Bob), and 19 nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his parents, Dick and Virginia.
Pickett was expecting his first grandchild in December.