‘General Hospital’ Star’s Death Made Public After Passing Away in March: Denise Alexander Was 85

Daytime Emmy Award-nominated soap opera star Denise Alexander, best known for her roles as Lesley Webber on General Hospital and Susan Hunter Martin on Days of Our Lives, died on March 5 at the age of 85.

The actress’ death is only just now being made public.

“I am so very sorry to hear of Denise Alexander’s passing. She broke barriers on-screen and off, portraying Dr. Lesley Webber – one of the first female doctors on Daytime Television – for nearly five decades,” General Hospital executive producer Frank Valentini confirmed on social media Friday.

“It meant so much to have her reprise her role in recent years, and I am honored to have had the opportunity to work with her,” Valenti continued. “On behalf of the entire General Hospital family, I extend my heartfelt sympathies to her family, friends, and longtime fans. May she rest in peace.”

Alexander was born in New York City on Nov. 11, 1939, and started acting as a child while being raised on Long Island. Some of Alexander’s earliest roles were as Perry Como‘s daughter in Perry Como’s Chesterfield Supper Club in 1949 and on Father Knows Best, The Danny Thomas Show, and The Twilight Zone throughout the ’50s and ’60s.

Alexander made her feature film debut at age 14 in the John Cassavetes-led Crime in the Streets. But she eventually found her home in the world of soaps, as Lois Adams on The Clear Horizon in 1960. Six years later, Alexander got her big break being cast as Susan Hunter Martin on Days of Our Lives, a role she would go on to enjoy until 1973, when ABC courted her to join General Hospital as Dr. Lesley Williams.

It was as Lesley that Alexander found the most professional success, earning a Daytime Emmy Award nomination in 1976. Throughout her tenure on General Hospital, Alexander’s character became the mother of Laura Vining (Genie Francis) and foster mom to Blackie Parrish (John Stamos) and was a pivotal part of the Lesley, Rick Webber (Chris Robinson), and Monica Quartermaine (Leslie Charleson) triangle.

In a 2010 interview with Soap Opera Digest, Alexander said, “I always say this, and I hope Leslie Charleson does, too: The first time that General Hospital ever went to number one in our era, it was on the Lesley/Rick/Monica storyline. It wasn’t Luke (Anthony Geary) and Laura. They went farther than anyone dreamed possible, of course, but that was a big triangle back then.”

Lesley was killed off via a car accident in 1984, but was resurrected in 1996, and Alexander went on to recur until 2009. She would then go on to make appearances in 2013, 2017, 2019, and 2021.