Anthony Geary, General Hospital Star, Dead At 78

The daytime TV world has lost one of its most beloved stars. Anthony Geary, known for playing legendary character Luke Spencer, has joined the many former "General Hospital" stars who have tragically passed away. Geary died on December 14 at the age of 78 as the result of complications from a planned medical procedure. 

Geary's career kicked off in the '60s when he appeared in many well-known TV series, including "The Mod Squad," "The Partridge Family," and "All in the Family." He then made his foray into the genre that would skyrocket him to fame: soap operas. He appeared on "Bright Promise" and "The Young and the Restless" before landing the role of Luke in 1978. Geary made TV history on "General Hospital," but his career was full of many more projects before and after, which included a storied stage career, culminating in work on over 50 theatrical productions. Geary is survived by his husband, Claudio Gama, and their cat, "Little Max." In the wake of his husband's death, Gama spoke to TV Insider, saying, "It was a shock for me and our families and our friends. For more than 30 years, Tony has been my friend, my companion, my husband."

Between 1978 and Anthony Geary's final departure from "General Hospital" after a 2017 cameo, the star appeared in a whopping 1,997 episodes of the beloved daytime series. During that time, he received 17 Daytime Emmy nods and a record-breaking eight wins. It's no surprise that Geary's performance as Luke Spencer earned him such accolades. His character's storyline remains one of the biggest in soap opera history. The romance between Luke and Genie Francis' character, Laura Webber, took the world by storm. Luke and Laura's 1981 wedding episode, in particular, was a major ratings record-breaker, as 30 million viewers tuned in live for the big TV event. To this day, it claims the highest rating of any U.S. soap opera episode. 

It's clear that the world of daytime TV would be an entirely different place without Geary. And the depth he brought to Luke resonated with viewers in a way that few actors experience. When he left the show in 2015, Geary appeared on "Nightline" and spoke about the nearly four decades he spent bringing Luke to life. "He was not created to be a heroic character," he explained. "He was created to be an anti-hero and I have treasured the anti-side of the hero and pushed it for a long time," per ABC News. According to Geary, Luke was "... all shades of grey. And that has been the saving grace of playing him all these years."