- - “General Hospital” pays tribute to Anthony Geary after his death with special Luke Spencer episode

Mekishana PierreJanuary 3, 2026 at 4:44 AM

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Anthony Geary on 'General Hospital'

General Hospital rang in the new year by paying tribute to one of its own: the late Anthony Geary.

The actor, who portrayed Luke Spencer across five decades on the ABC soap opera and one-half of the TV supercouple Luke and Laura, died Dec. 14, 2025.

Viewers were treated to a special encore of Geary's final episode as Luke Spencer on Thursday. The episode originally aired on July 27, 2015, and marked the end of Geary's story in Port Charles and on the show.

Luke bid his family goodbye and left Port Charles behind for good during the episode, with the character existing almost exclusively off screen until his official death on Jan. 3, 2022. In the shocking episode, Luke's widow Tracy Quartermaine (Jane Elliott) reveals to his former and eternal flame Laura that Luke's been killed in a cable car "accident" in Austria.

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Genie Francis and Anthony Geary for 'General Hospital'

Geary originated the role of antihero Lucas Lorenzo Spencer on General Hospital on Nov. 20, 1978, for what was initially supposed to be a 13-week run. But the actor won over the audience as the hitman with ties to the mob who reunites with his younger sister, Bobbie (the late Jacklyn Zeman). Instead of killing off the character, writers capitalized on the popularity of the pairing between Luke and Laura Webber (Genie Francis).

The coupling quickly reached soap supercouple stardom, despite their highly controversial beginning: Luke's rape of Laura. Their 1981 wedding drew 30 million viewers, making it the highest-rated episode in soap opera history and one of 20th century television's most memorable moments.

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Francis paid tribute to her long-time costar shortly after news of his death made headlines.

"He was a powerhouse as an actor. 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 wrote in several posts on X.

The actress went on to call Geary the "anti-hero," similar to his onscreen character Luke Spencer, who was known for his roguish charm. "Working with him was always exciting," she added. "You never knew what might happen. 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. Somehow, somewhere, we are connected to each other because I felt him leave last night. Good night sweet prince, good night."

Following his retirement from General Hospital in 2015, Geary lived with his husband, Claudio Gama — whom he met in February 1995 and married in February 2019 — exclusively in Amsterdam, where the couple shared their adventures together on Gama's Instagram page, including glimpses of "little Max," their beloved cat.

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Anthony Geary at the 42nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards in 2015

The actor had a love-hate relationship with the character of Luke throughout his tenure on the award-winning soap opera. He continually took hiatuses from the show during his time playing the Spencer family patriarch until his official exit in 2015. The role earned Geary eight Daytime Emmys for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama, a record that still remains in that category.

"It was once very difficult for me to realize that more than likely my obituary in the paper will read, 'Luke of Luke and Laura fame died today.' It was very upsetting when I came to that realization," Geary told EW during the filming of his final episode, although he would return for one final appearance in 2017.

"It's been a really exciting ride," Geary said at the time of his and Luke's final bow. "In the end, it's been well worth it."

on Entertainment Weekly

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