Bernard’s body was found in an open field in Riverside County on Tuesday, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office and coroner.
Deputies were dispatched Tuesday to San Jacinto Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue at 3:57 a.m. and found the actor “deceased at the scene,” said Sgt. Deirdre Vickers, a public information officer for the sheriff.
Bernard’s body was found in an open field behind a business on the 1800 block of South San Jacinto Avenue, according to Riverside County Coroner records. An autopsy was performed Wednesday; however, a cause of death could take eight to 12 weeks to be determined and a toxicology report would take longer, a clerk for the coroner’s office confirmed Friday to The Times.
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Vickers said there was no evidence of foul play and the investigation is ongoing. As of Friday, there were no additional details available.
Bernard, the sister of “Wings” star Crystal Bernard, was born on May 26, 1959, in Gladewater, Texas, according to Deadline. She began performing early in life, singing gospel songs with her sister. She first appeared onscreen in the 1981 film “Diva.”
But her breakthrough came in 1984 when she landed the role of Terry Brock on ABC’s long-running daytime soap opera. Her “General Hospital” character was a singer and former owner of Port Charles restaurant and nightclub Duke’s. Bernard played the role from 1984 to 1990, when her character left Port Charles after landing a recording contract.
The actor’s other credits include appearances in “Simon & Simon,” “The Facts of Life” and “Tour of Duty,” as well as parts in several French films, including the 1986 drama “Betty Blue” and 1997 comedy “Kings for a Day.”
Bernard was living in a mobile home almost two hours from Los Angeles and had stopped communicating with fans, Eric Ackerman, a member of the General Hospital Fan Club, told the Daily Beast.
Ackerman, who helps find talent for reunions at fan events, said he reconnected with Bernard over the years but that she wasn’t in good shape.
“I believe at one point, Robyn and Crystal were living with their dad in Glendale, but this is going back to 2014,” he said. “After that, she was presumably missing, with no one knowing where exactly she was.”
Action Eye, a San Jacinto news site, reported this week that Bernard was known locally to be homeless after her mobile home in San Jacinto burned to the ground a few years ago.