Patrick Feeney July 14th, 2026 - 11:40 PM
According to Deadline, Scott Byrce (Popular, Homeland), a 35-year veteran of the television industry, has passed away at 68. In the 1980s, he played Craig Montgomery on the soap opera As The World Turns. He was a series regular on the WB dramedy Popular in addition to numerous other credits.
His son, Jackson, posted to social media in order to announce his father’s passing. “This evening, my father lost his long-fought battle with cancer. What began as stage three esophageal cancer eventually spread and became brain tumors that took his life away from him,” he wrote per Deadline. View the post below.
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Byrce’s career was highlighted by back-to-back Daytime Emmy nominations in 1986 and 1987 for his work as Craig Montgomery. After leaving the show in 1987, he would eventually return for stints in the 1990s and 2000s.
Byrce’s first major role outside of daytime television was a four-episode stint as Rick Bonner on The Facts Of Life in 1988. He would land roles in several notable series from the 80s and 90s, including The Golden Girls, The Commish, Who’s the Boss?, Murphy Brown, and L.A. Law.
In 1999, he would go on to star in the Ryan Murphy-created series Popular (Pose, Glee). His relationship served as the catalyst for the show, bringing his daughter, Brooke McQueen, played by Leslie Bibb (The White Lotus, Hacks), and his fiancée’s daughter, Sam McPherson, played by Carly Pope (The Mental State, Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin), together under the same roof. The series ran for three years, and Byrce appeared in every episode.
Byrce would also work in both film and television movies. In the 1990s, his credits include Matlock, Law & Order, Homicide: Life on the Street, Spin City, Boston Common, Early Edition, and Pacific Blue.
After his work on Popular, Bryce continued to appear in television series throughout the 2000s and 2010s. His credits include Judging Amy, ER, 30 Rock, Reba, Homeland, Gossip Girl, Chicago P.D., Law & Order: SVU, The Good Fight, The Blacklist, and Blue Bloods.
His Facts of Life costar and onscreen wife, Nancy McKeon, posted a message as well, remembering Bryce: “…am incredibly sad to learn that we have lost the incredibly talented Scott Bryce……💔 a fan, I loved watching his work on the soap opera As the World Turns and when our writers on FOL wanted to cast the man that Jo would eventually marry, I quickly and enthusiastically asked that they please consider Scotty…🤗his talent won them over as well!”
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