Laura Mourns Luke: Genie Francis Says ‘I Am Crushed’ After Anthony Geary’s Death and Praises ‘General Hospital’ Co-Star

Genie Francis is mourning Anthony Geary after her “General Hospital” co-star died on Sunday. The two played married couple Luke Spencer and Laura Webber on the long-running ABC series. Drawing 30 million live viewers, their on-screen wedding remains the highest-rated soap opera episode in American TV history.

“He spoiled me for leading men for the rest of my life,” Francis wrote of Geary on X. “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.”

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Anthony Geary, Who Played Luke Spencer on 'General Hospital,' Dies at 78

Geary joined “General Hospital” in 1978 as the street hustler and mobster Luke Spencer, who was quickly paired up with Francis’ character, Laura. The characters first intertwined in 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, but the show revisited the incident decades later, showing how Luke regretted his actions and how the couple moved on from it.

Luke and Laura became a television phenomenon, serving as one of the first examples of a “supercouple” as other soap operas attempted to replicate the success of the storyline.

Francis starred in 1,967 episodes of “General Hospital” from 1977 to 2025, while Geary appeared in 1,997 before he retired in 2015. (He returned for one cameo in 2017.) Geary won a record-breaking eight Daytime Emmy awards for his portrayal of Luke Spencer, and Francis, too, got Emmy gold in 2007 for playing Laura.

According to his husband Claudio Gama, Geary died on Sunday due to complications from a medical procedure. “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,” Gama told TV Insider.