Inside General Hospital Actor Marcus Coloma's Health Issues

Marcus Coloma, who took over the role of Nikolas Cassadine on ABC's long-running "General Hospital" from 2019 to 2023, shocked fans when he revealed on Instagram that he'd recently had a heart procedure. The actor went on to explain that he'd been struggling for the last three or four years with his health but was unsure what was wrong. Eventually, with the urging of a physical therapist, he reached out to a cardiologist who informed him that there was extra fiber and an extra pathway in his heart. This was causing Coloma's heart rate to spike constantly. Coloma went on to clarify that the procedure to resolve the issue was successful and he doesn't anticipate any more issues.

It is not the first time Coloma's health problems have been public news. During his run on "General Hospital," Adam Huss briefly replaced him as Nikolas due to Covid-related health issues. Huss would later permanently replace Coloma after the actor's controversial exit from the show.

"General Hospital" fans were stunned when Coloma, who'd become a fan favorite since taking over the role first made famous by the late Tyler Christopher, was rumored to be leaving the show. Speculation quickly began to swirl about the true nature of Coloma's exit, including that he'd been fired and in retaliation, was refusing to film his final scenes. Months later, Coloma finally addressed his exit from the show via a letter from his spokesperson to Deadline. The letter clarified that Coloma was not fired but had merely come to the end of his original three-year contract. It also addressed the rumors of his refusal to film his last scenes, explaining that due to issues from recent Covid exposure, Coloma and the network agreed that he would not shoot anything more.

The actor would later appear on the Stone Cold and the Jackal podcast, hosted by former "General Hospital" co-stars Steve Burton and Bradford Anderson, to further discuss his exit from the show. While he reiterated that he came onto "GH" knowing and accepting that his role was only for three years, as the end drew nearer, he confessed that he was surprised at how much it hurt to leave.