General Hospital Sets Date For Anthony Geary Tribute Featuring Genie Francis
Fans of General Hospital are still mourning the death of Anthony Geary, the daytime icon who became a daytime superstar after making his Port Charles debut as Luke Spencer in 1978. The eight-time Daytime Emmy Award-winner passed away on December 14, 2025, in his adopted home of Amsterdam at the age of 78. On GH, he played Luke on and off until he retired in 2015 (returning for a one-day, dialogue-free appearance in 2017), and next week, the show is airing a special tribute to the man who helped its ratings skyrocket in the Luke and Laura (Genie Francis) heyday of the early 1980s.
In Loving Memory
On January 1, the show rebroadcast Geary’s last full episode as Luke from 2015, in which the troubled character departed Port Charles to process his considerable emotional trauma; earlier that year, he had recovered his teenage memories of accidentally killing his mother, Lena, while protecting her from his abusive father, Tim, then killing Tim, as well. Then, on January 6, GH concluded with a title card dedicating the episode to Geary. Many viewers complained on social media that the show should do more to mark the loss of such a significant member of its cast, and ABC exec Nathan Varni, who serves as current programming executive for the network, posted a message on Twitter/X reassuring fans that there was more to come. “Our team is working on a loving montage to be included later in the month,” he wrote. “Keep an eye out. RIP Tony Geary. 💔”
That “loving montage” is set to air this coming week at the very end of the episode on Thursday, January 22. Soap Opera Digest has learned that in addition to a decades-spanning video collage of Geary’s work as Luke, a handful of actors who worked closely with the star were filmed on set, speaking from the heart to the camera about their beloved colleague. The list of GH cast members who participated includes Genie Francis, Geary’s longtime Port Charles love interest.
Digest hears that this week’s montage is just part of how the show is planning to honor Geary in the months to come.
When news of Geary’s death broke last month, Francis shared an emotional tribute to her co-star. “He was a powerhouse as an actor,” she wrote. “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. 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 was a teenager when she was first paired in storyline with Geary, who was 15 years her senior. “He spoiled me for leading men for the rest of my life,” she went on to say in her tribute. “I am crushed, I will miss him terribly, but I was so lucky to be his partner.”