Troubled actor known for ‘Days of Our Lives’
Cody Longo, an actor known for his roles in the television series “Hollywood Heights” and “Days of Our Lives,” was found dead Wednesday at his home outside Austin.
He was 34.
He died in his sleep, likely from accidental alcohol poisoning, said his representative, Alex Gittelson. Gittelson said that Longo had struggled with alcohol addiction for several years, but he believed that Longo had recently been sober.
“Cody was our whole world,” his wife, Stephanie Longo, said in a statement sent via Gittelson. “The kids and I are shattered and beyond devastated. He was the best dad and best father. We will always and forever miss you and love you.”
Longo was a singer, songwriter, musician and music producer and served as a music supervisor and executive producer on film and television projects. He released his first EP, “Atmosphere,” in 2012 and the single “She Said” in 2013.
Longo starred in episodes of “Days of Our Lives” as Nicholas Alamain in 2011 and in the Nick at Nite drama “Hollywood Heights” as Eddie Duran, a music superstar, in 2012.
In 2016, he had roles on the ABC series “Nashville,” “Secrets and Lies” and “The Catch.” Longo starred in the pilot for “Santa Cruz” on Fox and in the ABC Family teen drama “Make It or Break It.” He also appeared in the movies “High School” and “Piranha 3D” in 2010.
Longo was born in Colorado on March 4, 1987, and studied psychology and film at UCLA. He began acting professionally in 2009, according to his website.
“He had taken some time away from acting to pursue his music career and spend more time with his family in Nashville,” Gittelson said,
“but we had kept in touch regularly and he was excited to get back into acting this year.”
Longo is survived by his wife, Stephanie, and three children, Lyla, Elijah and Noah.
Longo was arrested and charged with felony sexual assault involving a child in January 2020, but it was later dismissed when the actor pleaded it down to misdemeanor assault, according to Clarksville Now, a newspaper based near his home at the time in Tennessee.
The newspaper also reported that Longo was charged with domestic assault over a separate incident involving his wife the same year. His lawyer told the Post that it, too, was later dismissed.
“Cody should be remembered as a kind, gentle and talented soul,” the attorney, Iris Eytan, said in a statement. “He had a complicated relationship with his biological father which led to the false accusations which ensued. Both cases were dismissed, and that is alone proof that the accusations were without any merit.”