‘General Hospital’ Sets Date to Honor Anthony Geary Following Fan Backlash
General Hospital will be paying tribute to late star Anthony Geary following the soap icon’s death on Dec. 14 at the age of 78.
Geary is legendary in the daytime drama world for his portrayal of General Hospital‘s Luke Spencer, a role he played regularly from 1978 to 2015. Following fan outcry for a fitting tribute after his death, General Hospital is set to air a “loving montage” of his time on the show at the end of Thursday’s episode, Soap Opera Digest reports.
The decades-spanning montage will also feature tributes to Geary from a handful of the actors who worked with him over the years, including Genie Francis, who played Luke’s longtime love interest, Laura, for more than two decades.
The outlet reports that the montage is just part of how the show plans to honor Geary in the months to come.
General Hospital already honored Geary after his death with a rebroadcast of his last full episode as Luke on Jan. 1, and five days later, the soap concluded with a title card dedicating the episode to the late star. Despite these gestures, the show was inundated in social media with requests for a more substantial memorial, prompting ABC executive Nathan Varni to post a reassuring message on X (formerly Twitter) on Jan. 7.
“Our team is working on a loving montage to be included later in the month,” Varni wrote at the time “Keep an eye out. RIP Tony Geary.”
Francis also paid tribute to Geary on social media after learning of her former on-screen love interest’s passing, praising him as a “powerhouse as an actor” who stood “shoulder to shoulder with the greats” and who was forever “one of a kind.”
She added, “As an artist, he was filled with a passion for the truth, no matter how blunt, or even a little rude it might be, but always hilariously funny. He was the anti-hero, always so irreverent, but even the most conservative had to smile.”
“He spoiled me for leading men for the rest of my life,” she added. “I am crushed, I will miss him terribly, but I was so lucky to be his partner. Somehow, somewhere, we are connected to each other because I felt him leave last night. Good night sweet prince, good night.”
