GeneralHospital’s Genie Francis is mourning the loss of her longtime costar Anthony Geary, reflecting on the end of Luke and Laura’s decades-long love story following his untimely death. See her heartfelt
General Hospital’s Genie Francis Reacts to Anthony Geary’s Death After Playing Luke and Laura for Decades
Genie Francis is mourning the loss of her longtime General Hospital screen partner Anthony Geary — and the end of Luke and Laura’s story once and for all — after Geary’s death.
“This morning I woke up and went into my husband’s arms. In my sleep, my life was flashing before me and I was afraid of death,” Francis, 63, revealed via X on Monday, December 15. “An hour later, I received a call from Frank Valentini, he told me Tony died.”
The actress recalled feeling “remorse” immediately since she and Geary had not spoken “in years,” noting, “But I felt his life end in my sleep last night, and with it a big part of me, and mine.”
Francis praised her former costar, calling him a “powerhouse,” who could go “shoulder to shoulder with the greats.”
“No star burned brighter than Tony Geary. He was one of a kind. As an artist, he was filled with a passion for the truth, no matter how blunt, or even a little rude it might be, but always hilariously funny,” she continued. “He was the anti-hero, always so irreverent, but even the most conservative had to smile. Working with him was always exciting. You never knew what might happen.”
Francis confessed, “He spoiled me for leading men for the rest of my life. I am crushed, I will miss him terribly, but I was so lucky to be his partner.”
She concluded, “Somehow, somewhere, we are connected to each other because I felt him leave last night. Good night sweet prince, good night.”
Geary died on Sunday, December 14, at the age of 78 following complications from a scheduled operation earlier that month.
“It was a shock for me and our families and our friends,” his husband, Claudio Gama, told TV Insider on Monday, confirming he died in the Netherlands where the couple lived. “For more than 30 years, Tony has been my friend, my companion, my husband.”
Prior to his death, Geary was known for his role on General Hospital and being one-half of the famed Luke and Laura romance alongside Francis.
Francis, for her part, made her debut on General Hospital in 1977 as Laura Vining — currently known as Laura Spencer — after Stacey Baldwin portrayed the character from 1974 to 1976. Geary, meanwhile, began playing Laura’s love interest hitman Luke Spencer in 1978.
While Luke and Laura’s love story was controversial at times — Luke raped Laura during a 1979 episode, which was framed as “seduction” after professing his love for her and revealing he was going to be killed while at the Campus Disco he managed — the TV couple is one of the most iconic in soap opera history.
Luke and Laura’s supercouple status was evident during their TV wedding, which aired in November 1981, becoming the most-watched soap episode of all time. The nuptials garnered 30 million viewers and featured Elizabeth Taylor as villain Helena Cassadine. (According to The Hollywood Reporter, the late Princess Diana sent the actors champagne to celebrate the TV wedding.)
Despite his success on General Hospital, Geary exited the show in 1983. He later returned in 1991, but not as Luke. Instead, Geary played Luke’s look-alike cousin, Bill Eckert. Geary did reprise his role as Luke on the soap in 1993, portraying the beloved character until 2015.
“This show has been a huge part of my life for over half my life, and Luke Spencer is my alter ego,” Geary told TVLine in May 2015, before leaving the show to move back to Amsterdam. “But I’m just weary of the grind and have been for 20 years. There was a point after my back surgery last year where it became clear to me that my time is not infinite. And I really don’t want to die, collapsing in a heap, on that G.H. set one day. That wouldn’t be too poetic.”
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Throughout his time on the soap, Geary won a record eight Daytime Emmys for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.
Francis, meanwhile, won her only Daytime Emmy Award in 2007 for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
The actress has been part of General Hospital on and off since 1976. She took a break in 1984 before returning in 1993 through 2002. Francis popped up in 2006, 2008 and 2013 before returning as a regular in 2015.
