Great American Family's County Rescue Star Keller Fornes Dead At 32

Keller Fornes, the actor best known for his role as Griffin in Great American Family's drama series "County Rescue," died at age 32 on Thursday, December 19, 2024. This information came courtesy of an obituary shared to the official website of Lacy Funeral Home in Stephenville, Texas. It confirmed that Fornes is survived by his mother, father, and two brothers. At the time of writing, no information has been made available regarding the cause of death. Great American Family's parent company Great American Media issued an official statement regarding Fornes' shock passing via Instagram on January 6, 2025. 

"We at Great American Media are deeply saddened by the passing of Keller Fornes," the network wrote. "He was a special person and talent as an actor, writer, and director as well as a singer and musician. His energy and enthusiasm lifted all he worked with here at Great American Media and the cast and crew of 'County Rescue.' Our prayers are with his family and all those he touched." 

In addition to his work on "County Rescue" — which premiered in 2024 — Fornes had minor roles in a couple of big-name TV productions, such as the final season of "The Walking Dead" in 2022 and the fourth season of the National Geographic anthology series "Genius" in 2024. His obituary noted that when he wasn't acting or strumming away on his guitar (Great American Media's post also alluded to his affinity for music), Fornes enjoyed drawing and painting.

In light of Keller Fornes' death, a number of individuals who worked with him at Hallmark competitor Great American Family — both onscreen and behind the scenes — took the time to pay their respects. "I only interacted with Keller briefly while interning on a shoot last year but he somehow remembered my name and was very down to earth and kind to me despite me being an intern on the crew," a grip named Will Merchant wrote in the comments of Great American Media's memorial post. "Very sad to hear this news. Honored to have met him and praying for his family."

Musician Colton Dixon left a comment as well, noting, "Was so saddened to hear about this. We only met briefly during my work on 'County Rescue,' but he was incredibly kind and purposeful with his words. Prayers for his friends and family." Anna Casadei, who worked as an art director on the series, similarly confirmed that Fornes was a joy to have on set and offered her condolences to the late actor's friends and family. Meanwhile, Fornes' "County Rescue" co-star Kristin Wollett made an Instagram post of her own, sharing a collection of behind-the-scenes clips and photos.