Anthony Geary, 'General Hospital' legend and 8-time Daytime Emmy winner, dies at 78

Anthony Geary, the Daytime Emmy victor who played fractional of “General Hospital’s” supercouple Luke Spencer and Laura Baldwin, died Sunday. He was 78.

“The full #GeneralHospital household is heartbroken implicit the quality of Tony Geary’s passing. Tony was a superb histrion and acceptable the barroom that we proceed to strive for,” “GH” enforcement shaper Frank Valentini wrote connected Monday successful 2 posts connected X. “His legacy, and that of Luke Spencer’s, volition unrecorded connected done the generations of #GH formed members who person followed successful his footsteps. We nonstop our sincerest sympathies to his husband, Claudio, family, and friends. May helium remainder successful peace.”

The histrion died of complications a fewer days aft having planned country successful Amsterdam, the metropolis helium and spouse Claudio Gama called home, Soap Opera Digest reported.

“It was a daze for maine and our families and our friends,” Gama told TV Insider exclusively Monday, saying that for much than 3 decades Geary had been his friend, companion and — for the past six years — his husband.

Geary notched astir 2,000 episodes connected “General Hospital,” wherever helium started arsenic a formed subordinate successful 1978. Along the mode helium took a fig of breaks from the amusement earlier wrapping up his “GH” vocation successful 2015.

Even with those breaks, Daytime Emmys voters nominated Geary 17 times successful the pb histrion category. He took location the trophy 8 times, successful 1982, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2012 and 2015.

Despite their crippled enactment opening with Luke drunkenly raping Laura — played by Genie Francis — lone to person her autumn successful emotion with her rapist, their emotion communicative became insanely fashionable successful the aboriginal 1980s, appealing to a younger assemblage and redeeming the bid from cancellation. The characters got joined successful November 1981. The assemblage for the wedding, which aired implicit 2 days, was astir 30 cardinal viewers and remains the highest-rated soap opera lawsuit successful history.

Tony Dean Geary was calved connected May 29, 1947, successful the municipality of Coalville, Utah, and raised successful the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After studying theatre astatine the University of Utah, helium began his acting vocation with roles connected shows including “Room 222,” “All successful the Family,” “The Partridge Family” and “Mod Squad” successful the aboriginal 1970s. “General Hospital” formed him successful 1978, but not earlier helium added shows including “Barnaby Jones,” “The Streets of San Francisco” and “Marcus Welby, M.D.” to his resume. He racked up dozens much credits successful his career, but thing that brought him the fame that “GH” did.

When Geary near “GH” for bully successful 2015, immoderate erstwhile colleagues talked to The Times astir moving with him.

Jane Elliot, who played different Spencer emotion interest, Tracy Quartermaine, recalled successful 2015 that she acted with Geary erstwhile helium archetypal screen-tested for the relation that was expected to beryllium lone a 13-week arc.

“It’s ever awkward with an histrion you don’t know,” she told The Times. “I was walking down this formation of stars, and I walk Tony, who is doodling connected a portion of paper. He’s doing tic-tac-toe. I instantly cognize what benignant of histrion helium is, doing thing existent successful an unreal setting. I went up to him, enactment an O adjacent to his X, and our narration was established.”

“Tony’s relationship and guidance has meant the satellite to me,” said histrion Jonathan Jackson, who was lone 11 erstwhile helium started connected the soap arsenic Lucky Spencer, Luke’s son. “He was ever highly lukewarm and precise present, determination was thing condescending successful him. He ne'er treated maine similar a kid. We clicked close away.”

The “Nashville” histrion returned to the amusement aft galore years distant to assistance Geary wrapper up the Spencers’ story.

”When I recovered retired helium was leaving, I knew I had to travel back,” Jackson said astatine the time. “He was great. Having those past scenes with maine were everything I hoped it would be.”

Meanwhile, connected Monday, co-star Genie Francis, who is inactive connected “GH,” remembered her erstwhile on-screen emotion connected societal media.

“This greeting I woke up and went into my husband’s arms. In my sleep, my beingness was flashing earlier maine and I was acrophobic of death.” An hr later, she wrote connected Facebook, shaper Valentini called to archer her that Geary had died.

“I instantly felt remorse, I hadn’t spoken to him successful years, but I felt his beingness extremity successful my slumber past night, and with it a large portion of me, and mine,” Francis continued. “He was a powerhouse arsenic an actor. Shoulder to enarthrosis with the greats. No prima burned brighter than Tony Geary. He was 1 of a kind. As an artist, helium was filled with a passionateness for the truth, nary substance however blunt, oregon adjacent a small rude it mightiness be, but ever hilariously funny. He was the anti-hero, ever truthful irreverent, but adjacent the astir blimpish had to smile. Working with him was ever exciting. You ne'er knew what mightiness happen.

“He spoiled maine for starring men for the remainder of my life. I americium crushed, I volition miss him terribly, but I was truthful fortunate to beryllium his partner. Somehow, somewhere, we are connected to each different due to the fact that I felt him permission past night. Good nighttime saccharine prince, bully night.”