SOAP ICON GONE General Hospital legend Anthony Geary dead at 78 leaving husband, family and friends in ‘shock’
The soap opera legend played the iconic role of Luke Spencer over the course of 40 years – which snagged him a record-shattering eight Daytime Emmy wins.
The award-winning actor allegedly died after complications from a scheduled operation he had three days prior, TV Insider first reported.
“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,” Anthony’s spouse, Claudio Gama, told the outlet.
At the time of his death, Anthony resided with Claudio in the Netherlands.
Anthony, who was born and raised in a small Utah coal-mining town, moved to Los Angeles when he was in his early 20’s with big dreams of making it in Hollywood.
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Through the LA social scene, he eventually met Gloria Monty, one of the executive producers of General Hospital.
She approached Anthony about appearing on the show, to which he reluctantly agreed and signed a 13-week contract.
“In my first meeting, I said to her, ‘I hate soap operas,’ and she said, ‘Honey, so do I, and we’re going to change all that,’” Anthony recalled of his chat with Gloria during a 2007 interview for the Television Academy Foundation.
And changed all of that they did, as those 13 weeks turned into nearly 50 years as Anthony made the role of Luke, a hitman with ties to the mob, a staple in soap opera history for decades.
That casting cemented itself in TV history when Anthony was paired with Genie Francis’ character of Laura Webber.
Their electric chemistry and provocative storylines propelled the show to record-breaking ratings during the 1980’s.
Anthony’s role as Luke made its General Hospital debut on November 20th, 1978.
When his initial contract expired, he signed another one that gave him six more months on the show.
Those months turned into years, and the years turned into decades, with Anthony maintaining his presence on the show throughout his entire career.
He eventually left the show in 2017 after appearing on 1,995 episodes.
