Tuesday, September 30, 2014

'Santa Barbara' Emmy Winner Justin Gocke Dead at 36

Santa Barbara stars Robin Mattson and Justin Gocke.
Actor turned businessman Justin Gocke, best known for his Emmy-winning role on the NBC soap opera Santa Barbara, died on September 8. He was 36.

Justin Earle Gocke was born on January 31, 1978 in Los Angeles, California.

At age 6, he landed a role in The Burning Bed movie starring Farrah Fawcett. He continued to work in the entertainment industry until age 14, ending his acting career shortly after he started high school.

His credits included the role of Brandon Capwell in Santa Barbara, for which he won a Daytime Emmy Award in 1989. He was nominated again in 1991.

"Santa Barbara has been a great experience for me," Gocke said in an interview when he was 13. "It has given me a lot of acting experience, experience I plan to use in other things."

He appeared in numerous other TV shows and films including Simon & Simon, The Love Boat, The A-Team, Blacke's Magic, Hotel, Mr. Belvedere, Highway to Heaven, Family Matters, My Grandpa Is a Vampire and Scandal in a Small Town.

Gocke completed his Masters in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix in 2007, and worked as a consultant for various companies during his career.

He is survived his parents Steve & Loren Gocke; brother Jeremy and wife Kris and children, Lukas, Delaney, Gunnar & Weston; brother Jordan and wife Robin and son Tyler; sister Julia and husband Danny and children, Nolan & Reese. Also left behind are numerous Gocke & Hilbert uncles, aunts and cousins.

The family asks donations in his honor be made to race Resource Center in Lancaster, CA (www.graceresources.org) or the International Bipolar Foundation (www.ibpf.org/donate).

A celebration of Gocke's life was held on Saturday September 20 at the Pioneer Event Center in Lancaster.

1 comment:

  1. Was Justin Gocke Ill For Very Long? :-( Rest In Peace!

    Brian :-|

    ReplyDelete