Tragedy has struck the daytime soap opera world today. It is being reported that Nathaniel Marston died following a car crash that took place 12 days ago. The 40 year old actor passed away due to injuries suffered in the crash. He is best known for his role as Al Holden on the ABC soap One Life to Live.

The car crash that took the life of Nathaniel Marston happened in Reno, Nevada. While he was still alive for 12 days following the crash, the prognosis grew from bad to worse shortly after he arrived at the hospital earlier this month. Nathaniel Marston's mother Elizabeth Jackson was at the scene with her son. She shared the sad news of his passing on her personal Facebook page. This is what she had to say, explaining the severity of her son's injuries.

"Dear family and friends, it is with a heavy heart that I share this devastating news. My beloved and cherished son, Nathaniel Marston, who was putting up the good fight until last night was not able to continue due to the traumatic and devastating nature of his injuries. Nathaniel passed away peacefully as I held him in my arms. Father William, myself and his second Mommy Lisa, and our dear friend Charlotte were by his bedside, he was not alone. His injuries, which Dr.'s did their best to heal were not responding to treatment and one after another his bodily functions failed to support his life. Had Nathaniel lived he would have required a ventilator and would never have been able to utter one more word and would have been sentenced to life as a quadriplegic. A condition that Nate would have never have been able to tolerate. By Gods love and mercy Nathaniel was spared this living hell and has traveled on to be with God, his cherished Grandmother Mary Jackson, Grandfather John Jackson and my sister his Aunt Nora.... God is merciful and because of his mercy God ended Nathaniel's pain and suffering at 3:15 today PST in Reno, NV. Nathaniel now lives with Father God, surrounded with peace, love and light. Know that I am deeply grateful for all of you for taking this tragic two week journey with me Nathaniel and our family. Your unfailing support, prayers, love and positive thoughts that you have sent our way, in what has been the worst two weeks of my life, have held all of us up giving us the strength to get through each hellish day. Arrangements will be made for a memorial service in New York City, NY, Kauai, HI and Gerlach, NV. As soon as dates for these services are known they will be posted. Again, thank you for your prayers, your love, your kindness and your friendship which has allowed me and my family to be strong enough to be by my son's side for these past 12 days. The outpouring of your love came as an unexpected gift and I don't know how I will repay you for all of your love, prayers and support. Thank you for sharing your love, your experiences with me about how my treasured child, a man who grew into an individual who touched more lives than I ever could have known. XOXOXOXOXOOX"

Nathaniel Marston was first introduced on One Life to Live in 2001, playing the fan-favorite character of Al Holden. In 2004, the character was killed off. Fans petitioned to have him return, and soon he was back. Only, in classic soap opera tradition, there was a twist. Al's spirit took over the body of Dr. Michael McBain. He stayed on the show until 2007, and starred in 194 episodes.

One Life to Live, which premiered in 1968, was canceled in 2012. There were plans for a web series, which would have launched in 2013, but that production was halted. Nathaniel Marston wasn't only known for his time spent on the soap. He also appeared in such TV series as Blue Bloods, Castle and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. On the feature film side of things, the actor played Trey in the 1996 cult hit The Craft, which is getting a remake in 2016. He also starred in the 2011 indie comedy Walk a Mile in My Pradas. The actor doesn't have any credits listed after 2011.

Mother Elizabeth Jackson has reached out to fans, expressing her gratitude for their support in the 12 days following the crash. She will share more news of the memorial services as they take place in New York, Hawaii and Nevada. You can leave your thoughts for the family at Elizabeth Jackson's Facebook page.