Veteran Soap Opera Star and 8-Time Daytime Emmy Winner Anthony Geary Dead at 78

Veteran General Hospital star and eight-time Daytime Emmy Award winner Anthony Geary died on Dec. 14 due to complications from a “scheduled operation.” He was 78.

Geary’s husband, Claudio Gama, confirmed the news to TV Insider on Monday. “It was a shock for me and our families and our friends,” said Gama, who married Geary in 2020. “For more than 30 years, Tony has been my friend, my companion, my husband.”

Geary played Luke Spencer on ABC’s General Hospital for 37 years, originating the iconic character in 1978 and playing him through his retirement in 2015.

Geary’s portrayal of Luke, and his role as one-half of the beloved soap opera couple Luke and Laura (Genie Francis), cemented him in daytime drama history. The couple’s 1981 wedding episode was watched by 30 million people, making it the most-watched soap opera episode ever.

Francis remembered Geary as a “very warm” and “very sensitive” person who was “incredibly funny,” telling ABC News, “I was very, very young and Tony was very protective of me. But we knew we were doing something very edgy.”

“[TV producer] Gloria Monty always said that we were going to change the face of daytime,” Francis continued. “And we were doing that. We were so excited. We didn’t want to leave when we were released. We’d sometimes sit on the stage and just talk about what we had done.”

Actor Jonathan Jackson, who played Luke and Laura’s son, Lucky Spencer, remembered Geary as his “father in the arts” in an Instagram tribute.

“My heart is broken at the news of Tony’s passing. There are no words to express what he meant to me personally,” Jackson wrote Tuesday as part of a lengthy memorial post. “Many people know what a brilliant and unparalleled actor and artist he was. For decades, he poured out his heart and soul and passion into his work. Never settling, always pushing for truth, nuance, paradox, humor and humanity.”

View this post on Instagram

Despite his fame, Geary “never lost his humor, his compassion and grace,” and Jackson said he would be best remembered by him for his “humility, kindness, love and wit.”

“As an eleven year old kid, he took me under his wing with a depth of grace, respect and belief that I certainly didn’t deserve,” he continued. “He was my father in the arts, my mentor in the world of learning to trust one’s instincts and always believe in the power and beauty of story and performance. There were moments, many moments over the years working together that I can only describe as transcendent. I will cherish each and every one of them.”