General Hospital Relationship Timeline: Tracy And Luke
Though Luke Spencer (Anthony Geary) is one-half of the iconic daytime super couple "Luke and Laura" — whose wedding was watched by a record-breaking 30 million viewers in 1981 — it was ultimately Tracy Quartermaine to whom he devoted his final years. Tracy Quartermaine and Luke Spencer were possibly one of the most surprising couples to appear on "General Hospital," and though they had their ups and downs, the two managed to make it work in the end. Tracy, played by Jane Elliott who originated the role in 1978, is the daughter of the legacy characters Edward (John Ingle) and Lila (Anna Lee) and one of the heirs to the Quartermaine fortune (via Soap Central).
In an unlikely match, Luke and Tracy share a love of money (and getting more by any means necessary) and his swindling ways and undying charm eventually won her over. Throughout their time together, Tracy was embroiled in many battles with the other Quartermaines over their family business, ELQ International. And Luke was often absent, traipsing the globe and finding marks to hustle, but somehow the pair always found their way back to each other.
Luke and Tracy get married in Vegas
The saga of Luke Spencer and Tracy Quartermaine first began in 2005 when he tricked her into marrying him in an effort to gain access to her money, according to Soaps in Depth. Tracy took off to Las Vegas after Luke convinced her that her son Dillon Quartermaine and his girlfriend Georgie Jones were planning a quickie wedding. Luke made sure to get Tracy good and drunk while there and manipulated her into marrying him. The next morning, Luke informed an enraged Tracy that he had orchestrated the whole situation and would not grant her a divorce unless she agreed to pay him $15 million — to which she refused.
What followed was months of Luke and Tracy trapped in a sham marriage and constantly trying to catch the other cheating so they could get a divorce without paying alimony (via Soap Central). They eventually struck up an agreement that Luke would help Tracy secure her position as CEO of ELQ and in turn she would give him the money he wanted, though they would have to pretend to be in love for the plan to work. While playing the roles of doting husband and wife, Tracy and Luke began to develop real feelings for each other and before long their marriage became real.
A catatonic Laura Spencer wakes up
In 2006, Laura Spencer (Genie Francis) awoke from a years-long catatonic state due to an experimental drug. The doctors informed Luke Spencer that her lucidness would only be temporary and he proposed to Laura in an effort to make her "final days" happy, despite the fact he was already married to Tracy. Luke convinced their loved ones to keep up appearances, including a reluctant Tracy, and Luke and Laura were "married" on what would have been their 25th anniversary (via Soaps in Depth). Soon after, Laura fell back into catatonia and was re-institutionalized.
A few short years later, Laura woke up again — this time for good. She was furious upon realizing that Luke had "married" her when he already had a wife that he loved, but they ultimately made peace. Though Scotty Baldwin (Kin Shriner) was hoping to rekindle his own romance with Laura, Tracy became worried that Luke would return to Laura now that she was back to herself again (via Soap Central). Luke was eventually able to convince Tracy that his heart belonged to her and he had no plans to leave.
Luke and Tracy have a real wedding
In 2010, Tracy Quartermaine became suspicious that Helena Cassadine (Constance Towers) had altered the results of Elizabeth Webber's (Rebecca Herbst) paternity test to make it look like Nikolas Cassadine (Tyler Christopher) was the father of her child (via Soaps). In retaliation, Helena kidnapped Tracy and held her in a dungeon on Cassadine Island, which lured Luke there in an attempt to rescue his wife, per Soap Central. By that point, Tracy was gravely ill and in a moment of desperation, Luke admitted to Tracy that their wedding in Las Vegas years earlier had actually not been legal — but that he wanted to marry her for real as soon as they made it back to Port Charles.
It took a lot of convincing, including faking a heart attack, for Luke to get back into Tracy's good graces after revealing such a big secret. He did eventually manage to win back her affection and she accepted when he officially proposed to her. Tracy agreed to the marriage on the two conditions that Luke would pay for the wedding himself and that he would sign a prenup. Luke agreed to her stipulations and the two were finally married for real (via Soaps in Depth). Realizing that Luke truly did love her and was not just in the relationship for money, Tracy burned their prenuptial agreement right after the ceremony.
Anthony Zacchara blackmails Tracy
Luke Spencer and Tracy Quartermaine's marital bliss was short-lived when Luke began drinking heavily and was revealed to be driving the car that killed his grandson Jake Spencer, according to TV Guide. At the same time, Tracy was being blackmailed by mobster Anthony Zacchara (Bruce Weitz) who wanted to marry her for access to ELQ. A despondent and self-loathing Luke offered Tracy a divorce without requesting a settlement. Tracy was forced to wed Anthony, though she despised him, and eventually enlisted Luke's help to get her out of the difficult situation (via Soaps in Depth).
One day, at the Quartermaine mansion, Luke and Tracy came upon Anthony's dead body and both believed the other had killed him, though it was later revealed that he was shot by his grandson Johnny Zacchara (Brandon Barash) (via Soap Central). They managed to temporarily throw the police off the scent by pretending that Anthony was passed out drunk, and when Heather Webber (Robin Mattson) helpfully disposed of the body for them, Luke and Tracy were cleared of any wrongdoing. Tracy was hoping to reconcile with Luke at this point, but he had decided to move on with Anna Devane (Finola Hughes).
The emergence of Fluke and a rescue mission
In 2013, Tracy Quartermaine rescued Luke Spencer from being poisoned by Helena Cassadine, and they two reconciled when Luke proposed (via Soap Central). The happy-go-lucky Luke seemed to return to town with a different personality though, disregarding his daughter Lulu (Emme Rylan), putting the moves on the young Kiki Jerome (Kristen Alderson), working with mob boss Julian Jerome (William deVry), and trying to blow up the Haunted Star. Tracy remained loyal, however, and the two were married at the 2014 Nurses Ball. Residents of Port Charles began to suspect that "Fake Luke" — or Fluke, as he was dubbed by viewers — was an imposter. However, it was eventually revealed that it was in fact the real Luke Spencer who had suffered a psychotic break (via SoapHub).
Not long after, Laura Spencer reappeared in town requesting that Luke accompany her to Cassadine Island where Frank Smith was holding their son Lucky Spencer (Jonathan Jackson) hostage, according to Soap Opera Digest. In order for the plan to work, Luke and Laura had to pretend to be in love and Tracy was left heartbroken when Luke ran off with his ex-wife. Later, after Lucky has been saved and Jake Spencer (James Nigbor) is discovered alive, Luke tries to reconcile with Tracy but she's not interested.
Tracy mourns Luke after his tragic death
In 2017, Tracy Quartermaine made the decision to leave Port Charles and start a new life in Vienna. She left and coincidentally ran into Luke in a coffee shop. It's revealed that off-screen Tracy and Luke have reconciled and are living happily together in Amsterdam (via Soap Opera Digest).
In 2022 Tracy returned to Port Charles to deliver the heartbreaking news that Luke Spencer had been killed in a cable-car accident in Vienna (via TV Insider). Luke's loved one's gathered at the Haunted Star to say goodbye to a man who was easy to love but hard to pin down. Tracy gave a tearful speech, sprinkled Luke's ashes over the side of the boat, and ultimately decided to use a piece of the infamous Ice Princess to fund the next chapter in her life (via Soap Central).
There is always the possibility that Tracy will return to Port Charles again, especially now that there are questions surrounding the stolen Ice Princess, but it will be strange to see her for the first time in years without the love of Luke in her life.