Cody Longo, 'Days of Our Lives' Actor, Dead at 34: He 'Was Our Whole World'

Photo: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

Cody Longo, best known for his roles onDays of Our LivesandHollywood Heights, hasdied. He was 34.

In a statement to PEOPLE, Longo’s wife Stephanie paid tribute to the late actor following his death.

“Cody was our whole world. The kids and I are shattered and beyond devastated,” she shared of the couple’s three young children. “He was the best dad and best father. We will always and forever miss you and love you.”

Longo’s manager Alex Gittelson also remembered his “dear friend for over a decade.”

“My heart breaks for his beautiful family,” he said of Longo. “He had taken some time away from acting to pursue music and spend more time with his family in Nashville, but we had kept in touch regularly and he was excited to get back into acting this year.”

Gittelson added: “Cody was such a loyal, loving and talented person and he will be greatly missed.”

Vertical Entertainment/Everett

The Austin Police Department did not immediately return PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Longo played Nicholas Alamain — the son of Carly Manning (Crystal Chappell) — onDays of Our Livesfor eight episodes in 2011. He also appeared onHollywood Heights,Make It or Break ItandNashville.

In addition to acting, Longo released singles “She Said” and “Electric.”

RELATED VIDEO: ‘General Hospital’ Actress Sonya Eddy Dead at 55: ‘The World Lost Another Creative Angel’

In January 2021, Longopleaded guiltyto a misdemeanor assault charge in Colorado relating to a 2019 incident with a 9-year-old girl, according to Clarksville Now.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free weekly newsletterto get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.

At time of Longo’s November arrest, his lawyer Iris Eytan released a statement regarding the sex assault on a child charge, sharing in part, “Overwhelming evidence unequivocally disproves and refutes the allegations in the affidavit. Other than the evidence of innocence revealed in the actual, not summarized, interviews in the affidavit, additional evidence completely exonerates him,” per Clarksville Now.

In a statement to PEOPLE this week, Eytan said, “Cody should be remembered as a kind, gentle and talented soul. 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,” she continued. “He leaves behind a loving wife and three doting children. I was fortunate to know him for the short time he was on this planet.”

source: people.com