"General Hospital" officially bid goodbye to Anthony Geary, the actor who gave life to the character of Luke Spencer for the past couple of seasons.
According to Entertainment Weekly, the entire cast and crew of the series said their goodbyes to Geary recently and everyone cried. Geary's onscreen wife Genie Francis, who plays the role of Laura Spencer, got a tad bit emotional as well.
Following his last episode on "General Hospital," at least 200 cast and crew members paid tribute to the 68-year-old actor. Geary started playing Luke in 1978.
During the gathering, Francis spoke on behalf of the cast of "General Hospital." She also thanked Geary for keeping up with her for the past couple of years that they worked together.
"Thank you for putting up with me as a petulant teenager. Thank you for the best acting partnership I've ever known," she said.
Francis also recounted how touched she was when Geary sent her flowers in 1979 after they filmed their famous rape scene for the soap opera, according to Latin Post.
Meanwhile, Geary also took the opportunity to thank everyone he worked with on "General Hospital." During his stint on the show, he was able to receive eight record-breaking Emmys.
"I'm excited to raise the curtain on act 3, to reinvent myself in my new home to pursue whatever opportunity there may be. It's an exciting prospect to me. They've done a wonderful job wrapping up the character. So this seems like the ideal time to go," Geary said.
"General Hospital" premiered in 1963 but the show only picked up its momentum after Luke and Laura's romance took center stage. Luke and Laura's rape scene became one of the most viewed episodes in the history of soap operas in the United States. The song that was featured during the controversial moment titled "Rise" also became a number one hit, CNN reported.
