Medical Examiner Unveils ‘All My Children’ Star Alec Musser’s Cause of Death

Alec Musser attends the premiere of "Grown Ups" at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City on June 23, 2010. Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images

Late “All My Children” star Alec Musser’s cause of death has been unveiled.

After his fiancée, Paige Press, told media that Mr. Musser was suffering from “a severe case of COVID,” the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office on Tuesday reported that he appeared to have died from suicide.

Mr. Musser was found by Ms. Press at their home in Del Mar, California, on the morning of Jan. 13, the medical examiner said, noting that Ms. Press knew him to be alive before she went to bed the evening prior.

The next morning, according to the medical examiner, Ms. Press found his fiancé “slumped forward on the bathroom floor” with “a firearm near him and an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest.” The weapon has been identified as a shotgun.

When emergency responders arrived at the scene, Mr. Musser was confirmed to be deceased. His official cause of death is listed as a suicide. He was 50.

The autopsy results come three days after Ms. Press announced the death of Mr. Musser, whom she got engaged to a little over a year ago, in a series of Instagram posts.

“RIP to the love of my life,” she said in one of the posts, writing over a photo of the couple. “I will never stop loving you. My heart is broken.”

“I am never taking off my ring,” she wrote over another photo showing off her diamond engagement ring. “[Alec Musser] I love you forever.”

Ms. Press has also told media outlets that her fiancé was suffering from severe COVID-19 at the time of his death and noted that she believes the disease was what ultimately killed him.

“He was a very healthy person. I mean, he took exceptional care of his body and what went into it,” she told Fox News Digital. “He’d eat some cookies and that was the worst thing I ever saw him do.”

“Alec was a wonderful man. He was the best fiancé. The best dog dad. Very kind-hearted person,” Ms. Press said of Mr. Musser. “Seeing how many messages and people have reached out to me from his childhood… In the last couple of days, people I’ve never even met, sending me photos of him from high school and when he was in their wedding… He was so loved and touched by so many people.”

Life and Career of Alec Musser

Born in New York City on April 11, 1973, Mr. Musser was raised in New Jersey and Connecticut before moving to San Diego, California, according to his entry on the Internet Movie Database (IMDb).

After graduating from the University of San Diego, Mr. Musser worked as a ski patrolman at Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, a large ski resort along the east side of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in the Inyo National Forest.

He was then approached by a modeling agent and landed his first modeling job with Abercrombie & Fitch. The avid athlete and bodybuilder eventually made the covers of several magazines, including Men’s Health, Men’s Workout, and Exercise & Health, reported TMZ.

Additional modeling credits include Speedo, Target, Gianfranco Ferre, and Cosmopolitan, according to IMDb.

In 2005, Mr. Musser won the second season of the reality TV show “I Wanna Be a Soap Star” and was offered a contract role in the long-running ABC soap opera “All My Children.” He became the second actor to portray Del Henry.

Although the show stated that the role of Del Henry was just a 13-week contract, “All My Children” head writer Megan McTavish ultimately extended Mr. Musser’s contract, allowing him to appear in 43 episodes between 2005 and 2007, according to IMDb.

He also appeared in the 2010 comedy film “Grown Ups.” Adam Sandler, who co-wrote, co-produced, and starred in the film, posted a tribute to Mr. Musser on Instagram.

“I loved this guy,” Mr. Sandler wrote alongside a picture of Mr. Musser. “Cannot believe he is gone. Such a wonderful, funny, good man. Thinking of Alec Musser and his family and sending all my love. A true great sweetheart of a person.”