Christian Cousins dead: Soap legend dies at 43 as brother pays heartbreaking tribute

Detailed summary

The tragic news was confirmed by his brother Jonas Roeser in an Instagram post. Alongside images of the star as a child and an adult, he wrote: "It’s hard to share that my…

Actor Christian Cousins, who found fame as a child star in the Dallas spin-off Knots Landing and in the Arnold Schwarzenegger big-screen comedy Kindergarten Cop, has died at the age of 43. He had been suffering from liver disease prior to his death.

The tragic news was confirmed by his brother Jonas Roeser in an Instagram post. Alongside images of the star as a child and an adult, he wrote: "It’s hard to share that my brother, Christian Cousins, has passed away. Christian and his twin brother, Joseph 'Joey' Cousins, are my brothers through my biological father.

"They grew up in California while I was in Washington, and I didn’t get to know them until I was in college. Before that, I grew up watching them on television in Knots Landing and the lead role of Dominic in Kindergarten Cop with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"But those roles are only a small part of how I’ll remember Christian. He was a character, full of passion and energy, with big stories and even bigger dreams.

"Christian had been very sick with liver disease. It brings me comfort to believe he is now in heaven with his mother, free from the pain he was carrying.

"Rest easy, Christian. I hope your soul is at rest and that you’ve found peace. You are my brother, and you will be missed."

Christian and his twin carved out a successful career as children, as, due to stringent laws about how long child actors can work, productions usually employ twins to allow them to alternate.

They landed their first acting gig at the age of five in an episode of Highway to Heaven, and they went on to appear in nearly 60 episodes of Knots Landing as Bobby Gibson Ewing between 1987 and 1992.

It was while starring in the soap that they landed the big screen role of Dominic opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1990 comedy. Their last credited role was in 1995 in the film Twin Sitters, where Christian played Bradley.

Opening of the article, excerpted from Daily Express. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.