Genie Francis Remembers 'Powerhouse' General Hospital Co-Star Anthony Geary: 'No Star Burned Brighter'
Genie Francis is paying tribute to her former "General Hospital" co-star Anthony Geary after news of his death broke Monday.
Geary died at the age of 78 on December 14 as the result of complications from an operation three days prior, according to TV Insider.
"This morning I woke up and went into my husband's arms," Francis, who for decades played Laura opposite Geary's Luke Spencer on the ABC soap opera, wrote in a series of posts on X. "In my sleep, my life was flashing before me and I was afraid of death. An hour later, I received a call from ['General Hospital' executive producer] 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."
She went on to call Geary a "powerhouse," who stood "shoulder to shoulder with the greats."
"No star burned brighter than Tony Geary," she continued. "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. 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."
Valentini also released the following statement: "The entire 'General Hospital' family is heartbroken over the news of Tony Geary's passing. Tony was a brilliant actor and set the bar that we continue to strive for. His legacy, and that of Luke Spencer's, will live on through the generations of #GH cast members who have followed in his footsteps. We send our sincerest sympathies to his husband, Claudio, family, and friends. May he rest in peace."
Luke and Laura became not just the signature supercouple of "General Hospital," but one of daytime TV's most popular couples ever — despite the unsavory and sometimes-criticized origins of their relationship, in which a drunken Luke sexually assaulted Laura. Their eventual wedding, which aired in November 1981, broke ratings records for daytime television at the time and remains one of the soap's most memorable moments ever.