‘General Hospital’ Actress Dies Suddenly: Leslie Charleson Was 79

General Hospital star Leslie Charleson, four-time Daytime Emmy-nominated actress best known for playing Dr. Monica Quartermaine, has died. She was 79.

Charleson’s death was confirmed by General Hospital Executive Producer Frank Valentini on social media. “It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of my dear friend and colleague, Leslie Charleson,” he wrote in a Sunday, Jan. 12 statement shared on the General Hospital Instagram account. “Her enduring legacy has spanned nearly 50 years on General Hospital alone and, just as Monica was the heart of the Quartermaines, Leslie was a beloved matriarch of the entire cast and crew.”

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“I will miss our daily chats, her quick wit and incredible presence on set,” he concluded. “On behalf of everyone at General Hospital, my heartfelt sympathy goes out to her loved ones during this difficult time.”

Born in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1945, Charleson acted as a child before going on to study theater at Bennett College in New York. In 1964, she got her big television break on NBC soap A Flame in the Wind, appearing on ​​As the World Turns in 1966 before moving to CBS’s Love Is a Many Splendored Thing from 1967 to 1973.

After a string of smaller appearances on shows including Happy Days, Cannon, The Rockford Files, and McMillan & Wife, Charleson joined General Hospital in 1977, replacing Patsy Rahn as Monica.

From there, Charleson embraced the bad-girl character and made her her own. “She’s interesting, dedicated in all areas,” the actress told Soap Opera Digest in 1981. “Her dedication in her social life can be a bit over the top, but it’s true. When she loves, it’s passionately. She puts her effort into it, sometimes at the expense of others.” 

She continued, “I’m delighted with the progress she’s made, her sense of humor,” she said. “As an actress I enjoy Monica because she can wear any hat, go any place, do any thing. … When you’re all good, you’re boring. And nobody is just ‘good,’ unless she’s a saint.”

Charleson played Monica from 1977 until 2023, although she began to appear on General Hospital on a recurring status beginning in 2010 and made fewer appearances as she got older due to her health. Charleson’s final appearance on the show was in December 2023.

Charleson was married to Bill Demms, from 1988 to 1991.