Posted in: ABC, Current News, TV | Tagged: Antony Geary, General Hospital, Genie Francis

General Hospital: Genie Francis Honors Anthony Geary in Touching Post

Genie Francis honored her General Hospital co-star, Anthony Geary, in a heartfelt, heartbreaking post shortly after news of Geary's passing.

Earlier today, news broke that actor Anthony Geary, best known to millions as Luke Spencer – one half of the iconic soap opera couple "Luke and Laura," alongside Genie Francis' Laura Webber – on ABC's General Hospital, had passed away in the Netherlands at the age of 78. "It was a shock for me and our families and our friends. For more than 30 years, Tony has been my friend, my companion, my husband," Geary's husband, Caludio Gama, shared in a statement. Now, Francis has taken to social media to share a heartfelt and heartbreaking message honoring her co-star and what he meant to her.

"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. An hour later, I received a call from Frank Valentini, he told me Tony died. I immediately felt remorse, I hadn't spoken to him in years, but I felt his life end in my sleep last night, and with it a big part of me, and mine," Francis wrote in the first of several tweets. "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 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. 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."

Born Tony Dean Geary on May 29, 1947, in Coalville, Utah, the son of a contractor father and a homemaker mother would have an acting career that would span over a half-century. Making his on-screen television debut on ABC's 1970 series, Room 222 ("Choose One & They Lived Happily/Unhappily Ever After"), Geary's television career would include appearances in All in the Family, The Mod Squad, Mannix, Marcus Welby, M.D., The Streets of San Francisco, The Partridge Family, Barnaby Jones, and more.

But it would be the story of Geary's Luke and Francis's Laura that would captivate the nation for years. Despite its controversial beginnings, Luke and Laura's rollercoaster romance would culminate in a wedding in 1981 that still holds the record for being the highest-rated soap opera episode of all time. Originating the role in 1978, Geary would go on to win eight Daytime Emmy Awards as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Though he would depart the series in 1984, Geary would return to the role on several occasions and even appeared in the soap opera's spinoffs (General Hospital: Night Shift, Port Charles).

"If I ever do leave GH — not something I want to see happen anytime soon — I want Luke to die. I don't want him coming home for Christmas episodes or the birth of his great-grandchildren. I would prefer to have him go out in a blaze of glory, and also that it be the climax of a wonderful story that involves the entire community, rather than some inconsequential B plot," Geary shared back in 2013 when asked what he would want the future to hold for his popular character.

Geary continued, "Remember how 'The Bold and the Beautiful' got rid of our wonderful Susan Flannery? That was a terrific story, really sensational, and you couldn't do it with a better actress. Last time I saw Susan, I told her how much I admired how that was handled, and how she had set the template for those of us who have been on the soaps forever. We ought to go out in a way that gives the audience real closure, rather than just fading off or being sent away on a cruise. It is a very honorable thing to do with a character that is loved and has been part of the fabric of the daytime medium for a long time. But I know the network has a real resistance to that sort of thing."

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