General Hospital’s Anthony Geary Dead at 78

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The General Hospital community is in mourning.

It is with a heavy heart that I share the news of Anthony Geary‘s passing. Many of you will know him as Luke Spencer from General Hospital – he played the role, on and off, for almost four decades and truly became a daytime icon. Sadly, he passed away in the Netherlands on December 14th, just three days after a planned surgery. He was 78 years old. His husband, Claudio Gama, confirmed the news, and my heart goes out to him during this difficult time.

It came as a shock to me, our families, and our friends,” he shared with TV Insider on December 15th. “Tony and I have been friends, partners, and husband and wife for over 30 years.

I recently spotted the actor in a sweet clip shared by Claudio – it was so lovely to see him watching his former colleague, Genie Francis, on Maurice Benard’s insightful podcast, State of Mind. It’s always heartwarming to see these connections between actors!

He shared a video on Instagram on November 17th with the caption, “It really made Tony happy.” He explained that Tony had told him, “Those are two wonderful and talented people, great friends, and I miss them.”

Just before his surgery, Anthony finished his final acting scene with Anders Hove from General Hospital for a project that will be released soon, according to TV Insider.

The actor started his long and successful career on daytime television with parts in Bright Promise and The Young and the Restless. In 1978, he became famous for playing Luke on General Hospital.

Anthony’s role earned him an incredible eight Daytime Emmy Awards, including one just before he stopped acting in 2015. His pairing with Genie’s character, Laura Webber, was truly groundbreaking and immediately captured the public’s attention.

The couple’s wedding was a huge television event in 1981, attracting 30 million viewers – and famously featured a guest appearance by Hollywood legend Elizabeth Taylor, who was a big fan of the soap opera General Hospital.

Oh my gosh, it absolutely killed me when Genie and Anthony both left the show back in the ’80s! I thought I’d never see them together on screen again, so when they both came back in ’93, I nearly fainted! But then, tragically, Genie left again in 2002. It was devastating, honestly. I still miss her!

Following his eighth and last Daytime Emmy win – an award he described as especially rewarding – Anthony shared why he was choosing to retire from acting.

Oh my gosh, you guys, I was so wrecked when I heard him say this on A Spoonful of Paolo back in 2015! He was 68, and he just… laid it all out there. He’d had two major spinal surgeries in just two years, and after the second one, he just knew. He said it so clearly – he realized he didn’t have forever, you know? It just hit me so hard, realizing he was aware his time wasn’t unlimited. I replay that clip all the time, honestly.

After a wonderful life and 50 years as an actor, he felt it was the right time to enjoy the rewards of his career. He simply felt it was time to step back now.

Anthony praised the writers of General Hospital for giving his famous character, Luke, a fitting and graceful exit. He then shared how playing Luke had personally affected and shaped him over the years.

He admitted he didn’t see how things could have gone much better. He was grateful for the chance to meet incredible people and become part of a community he’d always longed to be a part of as a kid.

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2025-12-15 22:17