Heartbreak strikes the world of daytime television as we mourn the devastating loss of the beloved

Rif Hutton, who starred in episodes of Doogie Howser, M.D. and General Hospital has died at 73.

The actor died on Saturday, April 18 at his home in Pasadena, Calif., his wife, Bridget Hoffman, told The Hollywood Reporter. Hutton had previously been diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain tumor.

PEOPLE reached out to reps for Hutton but did not immediately hear back.

Actor Steve Apostolina paid tribute to Hutton in a Facebook post on April 20, writing, “A remarkable human being has left this earthly plane.”

“To say that Rif Hutton was one of a kind is a gross understatement. There will never be another like him,” Apostolina wrote, adding that Hutton was “incredibly bright and the hardest working person I’ve ever known.”

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“I worked in the voice over community with him for over 30 years but I really got to know him well when I directed him in one of my early plays. And while I knew him and spent a fair amount of time with him, he’d rarely talk about himself, because he was a humble man,” the actor continued.

Apostolina remembered Hutton for his many talents and his community action amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strikes. “I was lucky to cross his path and I am a better person for knowing him,” he said.

RATTLED!, Rif Hutton, 2022.
Rif Hutton in ‘Rattled.’.
Vertical Entertainment/Everett Collection
Hutton was born in San Antonio on Nov. 28, 1952. He is best known for his role as Dr. Ron Welch in the Neil Patrick Harris-led series Doogie Howser, M.D., from 1989 to 1993, as well as appearing as Lt. Cmdr. Alan Mattoni on JAG from 1997 to 2001.

The actor also played Lenny Caulfield in General Hospital for 32 episodes from 2021 to 2022.

On the big screen, he lent his voice to numerous animated movies over the last two decades, such as Shark Tale, Rio, Hotel Transylvania, ParaNorman, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and The Angry Birds Movie 2.

Hutton is survived by his wife Bridget Hoffman and son Wolfy.

“A remarkable human being has left this earthly plane,” friend and fellow voiceover artist Steve Apostolina shared via Facebook. “To say that Rif Hutton was one of a kind is a gross understatement…

“People knew when they hired him for a voice job that he was going to be the most prepared — he always was. He was also always first to show up on a gig — I had the great pleasure of beating him a few times and scooping a treasured chair, but those were few and far between.”