‘General Hospital’ Casts TikTok Star for Tribute Episode to Late John Reilly

General Hospital star John Reilly passed away on January 9 at the age of 84. His daughter, TikTok personality and comedian Caitlin Reilly announced the sad news on her Instagram. “John Henry Matthew Reilly AKA Jack. The brightest light in the world has gone out,” she wrote. “Imagine the best person in the world. Now imagine that person being your dad. I’m so grateful he was mine. I’m so grateful I got to love him. I’m so grateful I made it in time to hold him and say goodbye. I honestly don’t know what I’m going to do, but I know he’ll be with me. I love you forever Daddy.”

As a further tribute to her late father, Reilly will appear on General Hospital in an upcoming tribute episode as Annie, formerly known as Anna, the daughter of her father’s longtime character Sean Donely and his love interest Tiffany Hill (Sharon Wyatt). The character was previously played by Courtney Halverson and appeared in the soap opera in 2013 when Sean was poisoned by polonium. He teamed up with Luke, played by Anthony Geary, in an attempt to find the man who extorted millions for the cure, while Anna also tried to find a cure for her father’s poisoning.

Words can’t describe how honored I am to be playing my dad’s daughter on the show,” Reilley told Variety. “I grew up on the set of General Hospital, watching him work for years, so it’s exciting to dive into a new character in honor of him. He’ll absolutely be by my side in spirit on set rooting me on. It fills my heart with gratitude to be a part of this tribute to him and to feel so close to him working on a show he loved so much doing.”

Caitlin Reilly has become a rising TikTok star with 1.8 million followers, constantly going viral for her spot-on impressions of everyone from WASP moms, TikTok musicians, and “the sad lead girl in every Netflix teen film.” Over the course of his long career, John Reilly had a lengthy career beyond General Hospital, including As the World Turns (as Dr. Dan Stewart), How the West Was Won, Quincy M.E., Dallas (as Roy Ralston), voicing Hawkeye/Clint Barton on the animated Iron Man series, Beverly Hills 90210 as Kelly Taylor’s dad, and then had stints on both Sunset Beach (as Del Douglas) and Passions (replacing the late David Bailey as Alistair Crane).