In Memoriam
Anthony Geary, Who Played Luke on ‘General Hospital’ Dead at 78
Anthony Geary, who played antihero Luke Spencer on General Hospital starting in 1978, died on Sunday, December 14 from complications following a surgery in Amsterdam, where he lived, TV Insider reported.
He was 78.
The Utah native was initially hired for a 13-week arc on the soap opera, but his character — who became half of the iconic supercouple Luke and Laura, opposite Genie Francis — was so popular, he ended up in the role on and off for nearly 40 years.
Luke and Laura’s 1981 wedding, at which Elizabeth Taylor guest-starred as a villain, was the most-watched soap episode of all time, with 30 million viewers. Princess Diana even sent the actors champagne.
Geary, who won eight Daytime Emmy awards for the part, retired in 2015 but made a final, brief appearance on the show in 2017.
He is survived by his husband, Claudio Gama.
“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,” Gama told TV Insider.
