Nathaniel Marston, ‘One Life to Live’ Star, Dead at 40

The actor was seriously injured in a car crash on Oct. 30

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Nathaniel Marston, an actor on “One Life to Live,” has died after being involved in a devastating car accident last month, his mother, Elizabeth Jackson, posted on Facebook Wednesday. He was 40.

The crash occurred outside of Reno, Nevada, on Oct. 30. Marston was driving a 1985 Ford F-150 pickup, which drifted across lanes, landed in a dirt shoulder and overturned multiple times, the Nevada Department of Public Safety said in a statement. He was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the vehicle, authorities said.

The accident left the ABC soap star with back injuries and his neck broken in several places, along with “other internal injuries” including a collapsed lung.

“My beloved and cherished son, Nathaniel Marston, who was putting up the good fight until last night was not able to continue due to the traumatic and devastating nature of his injuries,” his mother wrote at around 7 p.m. PT Wednesday. “Nathaniel passed away peacefully as I held him in my arms.”

Marston underwent surgery on Nov. 4, but it did not go as planned, his mother said in an earlier social media post. He was left in critical condition, fighting pneumonia, a heart infection and irregular pulse, and Jackson said doctors predicted that he would most likely live out his life as a quadriplegic.

“His injuries, which Dr.’s did their best to heal were not responding to treatment and one after another his bodily functions failed to support his life,” his grieving mother revealed in her heart-wrenching post announcing his death. Had he survived, he would have needed a ventilator and would not have been able to speak or walk, she explained.

Jackson went on to thank her son’s fans for helping her through the “worst two weeks of my life,” and said their prayers and love “have held all of us up giving us the strength to get through each hellish day.”

Marston played Eddie Silva on “As the World Turns” from 1998 to 2000, earning a Soap Opera Digest Award nomination as Outstanding Male Newcomer. He later picked up another nomination for his role as Michael McBain on “One Life to Live.” He left the soap in 2007.

Born in Torrington, Connecticut, Marston moved to Kauai, Hawaii, with his mother at age three and then later to California. He began acting after being discovered by an agent for William Morris while working in a Beverly Hills bakery. He went on to star in a number of commercials before winning film roles in “Love Is All There Is,” co-starring Angelina Jolie and “The Craft.”

The cause of the tragic accident has not yet been revealed, but Jackson said the following day that “Nate was sober according to cops.”

Marston is survived by his mother and his wife, Rita, whom he married in 2006.

See the full message from Elizabeth Jackson below.

Dear family and friends, it is with a heavy heart that I share this devastating news. My beloved and cherished son, Nathaniel Marston, who was putting up the good fight until last night was not able to continue due to the traumatic and devastating nature of his injuries. Nathaniel passed away peacefully as I held him in my arms. Father William, myself and his second Mommy Lisa, and our dear friend Charlotte were by his bedside, he was not alone. His injuries, which Dr.’s did their best to heal were not responding to treatment and one after another his bodily functions failed to support his life. 

Had Nathaniel lived he would have required a ventilator and would never have been able to utter one more word and would have been sentenced to life as a quadriplegic. A condition that Nate would have never have been able to tolerate. By Gods love and mercy Nathaniel was spared this living hell and has traveled on to be with God, his cherished Grandmother Mary Jackson, Grandfather John Jackson and my sister his Aunt Nora…. God is merciful and because of his mercy God ended Nathaniel’s pain and suffering at 3:15 today PST in Reno, NV. Nathaniel now lives with Father God, surrounded with peace, love and light. 

Know that I am deeply grateful for all of you for taking this tragic two week journey with me Nathaniel and our family. Your unfailing support, prayers, love and positive thoughts that you have sent our way, in what has been the worst two weeks of my life, have held all of us up giving us the strength to get through each hellish day. 

Arrangements will be made for a memorial service in New York City, NY, Kauai, HI and Gerlach, NV. As soon as dates for these services are known they will be posted. Again, thank you for your prayers, your love, your kindness and your friendship which has allowed me and my family to be strong enough to be by my son’s side for these past 12 days. The outpouring of your love came as an unexpected gift and I don’t know how I will repay you for all of your love, prayers and support. Thank you for sharing your love, your experiences with me about how my treasured child, a man who grew into an individual who touched more lives than I ever could have known. XOXOXOXOXOOX

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