MINUTES AGO!! ABC Announces Air Date for Special Tribute Episode Honoring Late General Hospital Legends!
Following the heartbreaking loss of Anthony Geary, ABC has announced plans for a very special General Hospital episode dedicated to honoring the legends who helped define the show’s golden era.
Titled as a return to “The Good Old Days,” the tribute episode will celebrate the enduring legacy of beloved stars who are no longer with us, including Jacklyn Zeman, Tristan Rogers, and Leslie Charleson.
ABC promises a deeply emotional hour filled with classic moments, archival footage, and heartfelt reflections on the characters and performers who shaped generations of storytelling in Port Charles.
The episode is intended not only as a farewell, but as a celebration of love, legacy, and the timeless impact these icons left on General Hospital.
For longtime fans, it will be a powerful reminder that legends never truly fade—they live on in memory.
“General Hospital” will pay tribute to the late Anthony Geary by re-airing his 2015 farewell episode on Jan. 1.
Geary, who played Luke Spencer on the ABC soap for nearly 40 years, died on Dec. 14 due to complications from a medical procedure. He was 78.
The July 27, 2015, episode marked Geary’s last hurrah in Port Charles — besides one final cameo as Luke Spencer in a 2017 episode.
Geary appeared in 1,997 episodes of “General Hospital” and was nominated for 17 Daytime Emmys for his role, winning a record-breaking eight.
Geary was best known on “General Hospital” as one-half of the legendary soap couple Luke and Laura (played by Genie Francis). The characters’ 1981 wedding episode drew 30 million live viewers, and it remains the highest-rated soap opera episode in American TV history.
Luke and Laura became a cultural phenomenon, with other soaps attempting to replicate the success of “General Hospital’s” central romance.
GENERAL HOSPITAL – 7/27/15 After originating the character of Lucas Lorenzo Spencer 37 years ago, acclaimed actor Anthony Geary bids farewell to “General Hospital,” Monday, July 27, 2017. In the scene, Luke waits on the pier for his boat to take him away from Port Charles. The Emmy-winning daytime drama “General Hospital” airs Monday-Friday (3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. GH15 (ABC/Todd Wawrychuk) ANTHONY GEARY
As a mobster and street hustler, Luke brought new drama to the medical soap, including espionage storylines and overseas subplots. His romance storyline started with a controversial scene in which Luke sexually assaults Laura.
Due to a positive audience response to the pairing, the writers retconned the scene as a seduction, rather than rape. The show revisited the incident decades later, showing how Luke regretted his actions and how the couple moved on from it.
After Geary died, Francis honored her longtime co-star by posting on X: “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.”
