JUST IN: ‘General Hospital’ Icon Dies At 78

General Hospital legend Anthony Geary, the actor who turned Luke Spencer into one of daytime TV’s most famous characters, has died. He was 78.

Geary died Sunday in the Netherlands following an operation three days earlier. His death was confirmed by his husband, Claudio Gama, in a statement to TV Insider.

“It was a shock for me and our families and our friends,” Gama said. “For more than 30 years, Tony has been my friend, my companion, my husband.”

Geary rose to superstardom in the late 1970s and early 1980s as Luke Spencer on the long-running ABC soap, opposite Genie Francis’ Laura. The pair became one of television’s first true “supercouples,” driving massive ratings and pop culture obsession.

Geary ultimately won a record eight Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series before retiring from the role.

Born in Coalville, Utah, in 1947, Geary was raised by Mormon parents and earned a theater scholarship to the University of Utah before moving to Los Angeles in the 1960s to pursue acting.

His early career included appearances on All in the Family, The Partridge Family, Marcus Welby, M.D. and The Mod Squad. He joined the soap world in the early 1970s with roles on Bright Promise and The Young and the Restless, where his character was involved in one of the era’s most controversial storylines.

Geary debuted as Luke Spencer on General Hospital in 1978, initially signed for just 13 weeks. Audience response quickly changed those plans.

After leaving General Hospital, Geary continued working in film and television, with roles in UHF, The Disorderlies, Crack House, Night of the Warrior and Carpool Guy, among others.

In his final interview in 2023, Geary reflected on his career with satisfaction.

“Not being on the show after having been on it for 30-plus years, practically half my life, I have a feeling of satisfaction because I did it, I showed up, I did my work, I won some trophies, I enjoyed the people I worked with for the most part and I feel I got out in time,” he said.

“I live in the city that I’ve always wanted to live in my whole life and I have somebody who loves me and I have a life now, that I didn’t have before,” he added. “Everything happened at the right time, I guess.”

Geary is survived by his husband, Claudio Gama, with whom he lived in Amsterdam, along with their cat.

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