Television and soap opera icon Anthony Geary has died at the age of 78. Geary passed away on Sunday, December 14 from complications following a planned surgery three days earlier.
Geary played anti-hero Luke Spencer on-and-off for 40 years on ‘General Hospital’ from 1978-2017. The eight-time Daytime Emmy winner (and 16x nominee) appeared in 1,997 episodes of the soap before officially retiring from the role in 2015 (he also made a cameo appearance in an episode in 2017). Geary went on to move to Amsterdam full-time with his husband, Claudio Gama, who were married in 2019.
TV Insider was first to report the news of Geary’s death. The actor got his big break as the iconic Luke Spencer in 1978 on ABC’s long-running soap opera ‘General Hospital,’ changing the face of daytime television forever. The character was originally only supposed to appear on the show for a 13-week stint, but Geary’s immediate popularity and his unique acting style kept him on the show for years. After pairing Geary with Genie Francis’ “Laura,” the couple’s on-screen chemistry and popularity brought the soap opera to immense popularity. The love story of ‘Luke and Laura’, while controversial, became a part of 80s pop culture, with the actors appearing on the cover of Newsweek and the wedding of Luke and Laura become the most-watched episode in soap history, drawing over 30 million viewers – a record that remains until this day.
Geary also made history by winning the Daytime Emmy for ‘Outstanding Lead Actor’ in a Daytime Drama Series eight times – in 1982, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2012, and his last in 2015 – the most of any performer.
Just weeks before his death, Geary’s husband, Claudio Gama posted a video showing Geary watching his longtime co-star Genie Francis (Laura) being interviewed by his other former colleague Maurice Benard (Sonny) on Bernard‘s ‘State of Mind’ podcast. Gama wrote in the caption: “It really made Tony very happy. He told me, ‘those are two lovely and talented people, great friends, and I miss them.’”
Gama said in a statement regarding his husband’s passing: “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.”
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