Dynasty star's shock death just 10 days after diagnosis
American actor Michael Nader, who is known best for his starring role on the original Dynasty, has passed away at 76-years-old.
Jodi Lister, his wife, took to social media to announce to the world the sad news.
She revealed he died in his California home from untreatable cancer on August 23, only 10 days after being diagnosed.
“His death and diagnosis was sudden and unexpected and I have never experienced such agony as watching my soulmate die before my eyes,” Lister wrote via Nader’s official Facebook page.
“We had 18 wonderful years together with the many dogs we fostered and adopted. Recently, Michael was so thrilled to reconnect with his friends from the cast of Dynasty during Emma Samms virtual event to help raise funds for Long-Covid research.
“He was a beautiful and fascinating man with many talents and skills. I will miss him forever.”
Nader was best known for his role as Dex Dexter on the ABC prime time soap opera Dynasty from 1983 to 1989.
He played the third husband of Joan Collins’ character, Alexis Carrington Colby.
He also starred in the popular soap opera All My Children as Dimitri Marick, from 1991 to 2001, before he reprised the role in 2013.
Nader has previously been open about his substance abuse issues, with Lister revealing he had been writing a book about his battles before his death.
“He was working on a book about his life and addiction before he passed,” she said.
“He had so many talents and skills and it’s hard to imagine living life without his beautiful and wonderful presence, joy and laughter.”
His last and final project was the reprisal of his hit character on All My Children, back in 2013.
Before his brief return, Nader told reporters he was “out of the game” and had made peace with the idea of never returning to act.
“I did a couple of guest spots on Cold Case, and little things. Then I started drifting around and going to those, ‘Let’s see what they look like today interviews.’ And you know what? The industry has changed so much. It’s sit around and wait,” he told Michael Fairman in 2013.
“I have a friend, a very good actor.
“For seven years he did not get work. All of a sudden, he started to get some voiceover work, and it was enough to make a living in Hollywood. (Then) I got call that he had a cerebral haemorrhage in his sleep.
“They found him three days later with his dogs around him. So he waited by the phone, he got a little bite of life, and then he was taken.
“And I said, ‘You know, I am so lucky of what I did, and to live in this wonderful community in Lake Tahoe. I am at peace.’”
Nader is survived by wife Lister, daughter Lindsay, stepmother Lillian and sister Stephanie.