ST. PETERS, Mo. — Robert Kelker-Kelly played one of daytime television’s most beloved husbands on Days of Our Lives, but his real-life marriages tell a far more complicated story. The soap star, who died suddenly on October 3, 2026, at age 62, was married twice: first to production assistant Linda Rattner, and later to his Days costar Miriam Parrish, the woman who inspired him to walk away from Hollywood entirely.
Who Was Robert Kelker-Kelly’s First Wife?
Robert Kelker-Kelly married Linda Rattner in 1988, just as his acting career was taking off on Another World. Rattner worked as a production assistant, and the two were together for four years before divorcing in 1992.
That same year, Kelker-Kelly landed the role that would define his career: Bo Brady on Days of Our Lives.
Miriam Parrish: The Costar Who Changed Everything
In 1997, Kelker-Kelly married Miriam Parrish, his Days of Our Lives costar who played Jamie Caldwell on the soap. Their relationship marked a turning point in his life that went far beyond marriage.
According to multiple reports, Kelker-Kelly left Los Angeles and effectively walked away from his acting career after marrying Parrish. He traded the soundstage for the sky, becoming a professional pilot based in Missouri.
The couple welcomed their only child, daughter Amelia Rose Kelly, during their marriage.
The Divorce That Ended a 16-Year Marriage
Kelker-Kelly and Parrish divorced in 2013, ending a 16-year marriage. The split was largely kept out of the public eye, and neither party spoke publicly about the reasons behind it.
Following the divorce, Kelker-Kelly continued his life in Missouri, working as a pilot and flight instructor while staying out of the spotlight.
A Life Defined by Reinvention
Robert Kelker-Kelly’s marriages tell the story of a man who was willing to start over. He married Linda Rattner at the beginning of his fame. He married Miriam Parrish at the height of it. And then, with Parrish by his side, he walked away from everything the industry had given him.
When he died in St. Peters, Missouri, after complaining of chest pain, he left behind a daughter, a legacy on daytime television, and two ex-wives who shared different chapters of a life that never followed a predictable script.
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