ABC Show Officially Kills off Character After Actress’ Death

One ABC show has killed off a character months after the actress’ death.

In a two-part farewell that started on Thursday, General Hospital said goodbye to Monica Quartermaine.

The episode comes eight months after Leslie Charleson died of sequelae of blunt head trauma, the result of a previous head injury after experiencing “several falls,” per TMZ. Since 1977, Charleson has portrayed Monica Quartermaine on GH on and off, first as a series regular until 2010 and then as part of the recurring cast until 2023. Last week, it was revealed that Monica had died peacefully in her sleep.

“It was very, very difficult to play her alive when she had already passed in real life,” Jane Elliot, who plays Monica’s sister-in-law Tracy Quartermaine, told Variety. “It extended the mourning because we had to keep her alive when she wasn’t. I had to mourn her death twice.”

Thursday and Friday’s episodes paid tribute to both Charleson and Monica, as characters reflected on their time with the cardiologist and dealing with grief in their own way. The actors were also able to find solace while filming, as they also said goodbye to Monica and the lady who played her for four decades, including Steve Burton, who has been playing Jason Quartermaine since 1991, and formed an “immediate” bond with the late actress, whose character raised Jason.

“I never had to really prepare my scenes with her because we just had a connection as soon as I came on the show,” Burton tells TV Insider. “It was very special, and I’ll always cherish my time with her and the Quartermaines. We had so much fun together. She and Stuart always looked out for me and protected me. To have her and Stuart Damon as my parents? I hit the lottery.”

When it came time to film the farewell after Charleson’s passing, Burton admitted it was “surreal.” He continued, “You have a woman who I love dearly who passed, but you had her character, who was still alive. So, it was just this weird world to be in. We had the celebration of life for Leslie, and now we’re having a funeral for Monica, so it definitely was difficult.”

Burton says he is glad that Jason was the one who discovered that Monica had passed. “I just think it had to be Jason or Tracy because of the connection they had to her,” he shared. “He is obviously devastated by the loss. Obviously, he had a great connection with Monica, but he definitely regretted not spending more time with her. Realizing that she loved him, no matter what happened or what he did, and she wasn’t even his real mother, he’s grateful for the relationship.”