‘Days of Our Lives’ Star Robert Kelker-Kelly Dies — and a Former Co-Star’s Bombshell Words About Him Have Resurfaced
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“Days of Our Lives” star Robert Kelker-Kelly has died at 62, bringing renewed attention to a difficult chapter from his years on the soap.
Months before the actor’s death, his former co-star Lisa Rinna described a troubling experience working with the actor who played her on-screen love interest.
Robert Kelker-Kelly and Lisa Rinna | Source: Getty Images
By 1997, Robert Kelker-Kelly had already left “Days of Our Lives,” but he was still closely associated with daytime television. The photo captures him after the soap years that would later become part of Lisa Rinna’s very different behind-the-scenes account. | Source: Getty Images
TMZ reported on October 5 that Kelker-Kelly died on October 3, citing the medical examiner in Missouri. His cause of death was not yet known.
By 1997, Robert Kelker-Kelly had already left "Days of Our Lives," but he was still closely associated with daytime television. The photo captures him after the soap years that would later become part of Lisa Rinna's very different behind-the-scenes account. | Source: Getty Images
Kelker-Kelly joined “Days of Our Lives” as Bo Brady in 1992. That same year, Rinna joined the soap as Billie Reed, whose romance with Bo made the actors a prominent on-screen pairing.
Their chemistry earned them a Soap Opera Digest Award for Hottest Soap Couple in 1995. Both left their roles that year. What viewers saw on screen, however, was very different from the working relationship Rinna later described.
Kelker-Kelly was photographed with a Soap Opera Digest Award in 1994, during the period when he and Rinna were playing Bo and Billie. Their success as an on-screen pair makes Rinna's later description of their off-camera relationship even more striking.
Kelker-Kelly was photographed with a Soap Opera Digest Award in 1994, during the period when he and Rinna were playing Bo and Billie. Their success as an on-screen pair makes Rinna’s later description of their off-camera relationship even more striking.
Rinna’s Account Revealed What She Says Happened Off Camera
Kelker-Kelly and Rinna were presented to viewers as the romantic pairing of Bo Brady and Billie Reed on "Days of Our Lives." Their chemistry worked on screen, but Rinna later said their relationship behind the cameras was deeply difficult. | Source: Getty Images
In her 2026 memoir, “You Better Believe I’m Gonna Talk About It,” Rinna wrote that she and Kelker-Kelly “hated each other” behind the scenes. People reported her account on February 27.
While discussing people she considered bullies in Hollywood, Rinna singled out her former co-star.
“I have legit stories about the real bullies in this town. Robert Kelker-Kelly is one of those bullies,” she wrote.
Rinna then detailed what she alleged she experienced while working closely with him.
“He made my life a living hell on the set of Days. He was horrible to me. I’d go so far as to say verbally abusive. He was passive-aggressive, manipulative and played weird mind games.”
Their roles required them to film together every day, Rinna said, including scenes in which they were often partially undressed. She claimed Kelker-Kelly sometimes gave her the silent treatment when she did not do what he wanted.
Kelker-Kelly and Rinna were presented to viewers as the romantic pairing of Bo Brady and Billie Reed on “Days of Our Lives.” Their chemistry worked on screen, but Rinna later said their relationship behind the cameras was deeply difficult. | Source: Getty Images
Lisa Rinna also described him as unpredictable, saying she never knew what kind of interaction she would encounter when she arrived on set. She said the uncertainty was exhausting.
At the time, the outlet said the late actor did not immediately respond to its request for comment on the allegations.
