- Anthony Geary, known for playing Luke Spencer in General Hospital, passed away at 78, following an operation
- He won eight Daytime Emmy Awards and made television history with his role, including a record-breaking wedding episode in 1981
- Geary, who retired in 2015, lived in Amsterdam with his husband, Claudio Gama, who confirmed the news of his passing
The award-winning soap legend, Anthony Geary, died on December 14 at age 78, following a scheduled operation.
Geary won eight Daytime Emmy awards over the course of his career and was known for his portrayal of Luke Spencer in General Hospital.
He also appeared in various film and television projects, including Do You Know the Muffin Man?, Intimate Agony, and Carpool Guy.
His death came as a shock to family and friends, his husband Claudio Gama confirmed.
In an exclusive statement to TV Insider, who first reported the news, Gama said: ‘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.’
The publication stated his death was the result of complications from a scheduled operation three days earlier.
Geary was born on May 29, 1947, in Utah and raised in a Mormon family before moving to Los Angeles to pursue his acting career.
It was there that he started appearing in soaps and caught the attention of producer Gloria Monty, who cast him in the role that would define his career.
He stayed on the show for nearly 40 years, after initially only signing a 13-week contract, and his character became legendary in the soap opera world.
Viewers were huge fans of Luke’s storyline with Genie Francis’ character Laura Webber, and their nuptials drew in 30 million viewers for the show in 1981.
The episode saw an appearance from Elizabeth Taylor, who was a huge fan of the show and couple, and is still the highest-rated hour ever for an American soap opera.
But Geary’s role wasn’t without its controversies. Despite the fictional couple ending up together and being loved by many, their relationship began with Luke raping Laura one night.
The actor later told ABC News: ‘We came under a lot of fire from feminist groups and rightfully so from victim groups.’
Geary retired from the show in 2015, and lived in Amsterdam with his husband.
Just weeks prior to his death, Gama posted a video on Instagram showing his husband watching his former costar, Francis, on State of Mind podcast hosted by Maurice Benard.
The caption read: ‘It really made Tony very happy.
‘He told me: “Those are two lovely and talented people, great friends and I miss them.”‘
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