“General Hospital” will pay tribute to the late Anthony Geary by re-airing his 2015 farewell episode on January 1st.
Geary, who played Luke Spencer on the ABC drama for nearly 40 years, died on Dec. 14 due to complications from a medical procedure. He was 78 years old.
The July 27, 2015 episode marked Geary’s last hurray in Port Charles, as well as his final cameo as Luke Spencer in a 2017 episode. Geary appeared in 1,997 episodes of “General Hospital,” earning him 17 Daytime Emmy nominations and winning a record eight for his role.
Geary was best known as one half of the legendary soap couple Luke and Laura (played by Jeannie Francis) on “General Hospital.” The 1981 episode of the characters’ wedding drew 30 million live viewers and remains the highest-rated soap opera episode in American television history. Luke and Laura became a cultural phenomenon, and other soaps tried to replicate the success of “General Hospital’s” central romance.
General Hospital – July 27, 2015 Acclaimed actor Anthony Geary, who created the character of Lucas Lorenzo Spencer 37 years ago, will say goodbye to “General Hospital” on Monday, July 27, 2017. In this scene, Luke is waiting on the pier for a boat to take him from Port Charles. The Emmy Award-winning daytime drama “General Hospital” airs Monday through Friday (3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET) on the ABC Television Network. GH15 (ABC/Todd Wawrichuk) Anthony Geary
ABC
As a gangster and street hustler, Luke brought new drama to medical soaps, including espionage storylines and overseas subplots. His romance storyline began with a controversial scene in which Luke sexually assaults Laura. Audience reactions to this pairing were so positive that the screenwriters reimagined the scene as seduction rather than rape. The show revisited the incident decades later, showing how Luke regretted his actions and how the couple moved on from it.
After Geary passed away, Frances paid tribute to her longtime co-star with a post on X, writing, “He spoiled me with guiding men for the rest of his life. I’m devastated and will miss him so much, but I was so lucky to have been his partner. I felt like he was going to be gone last night, so somehow somewhere we are connected. Good night, sweet prince. Good night.”
General Hospital – June 23, 2015 After creating the character Lucas Lorenzo Spencer 37 years ago, acclaimed actor Anthony Geary said goodbye to “General Hospital” on Monday, July 27, 2015. On Tuesday, June 23, 2015, Geary recorded his final scene. The Emmy Award-winning daytime drama “General Hospital” airs Monday through Friday (3:00-4:00 p.m. ET/PT) on the ABC Television Network. GH15 (ABC/Todd Wawrichuk) Anthony Geary
ABC
