Husband of General Hospital star Anthony Geary speaks out after actor’s ‘shock’ death

Claudio Gama, the husband of General Hospital star Anthony Geary, has spoken out following the actor’s death at the age of 78.

Geary, who played Luke Spencer on the hospital drama for nearly 30 years, died on Sunday (14 December) due to complications from a scheduled operation days earlier.

Speaking to TV Insider Gama, said: “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.”

Prior to starring in General Hospital, Geary had several roles in other TV soaps. Among them was Roger, the friend of Michael “Meathead” Stivic’s (Rob Reiner) on All In the Family.

Roger is thought to be gay by Archie Bunker (Carroll O’Connor), Michael’s father-in-law, whose friend is late revealed to be gay instead.

Both Geary and Reiner passed away on the same day.

For his role on General Hospital, Geary was nominated 16 times for a Daytime Emmy, winning on eight occasions.

He started in the show in 1978. He was later paired with Genie Francis, who played Laura Webber, with the two characters pairing up and becoming fan favourites.

Luke and Laura’s wedding episode in 1981, which guest starred Elizabeth Taylor, a General Hospital fan, was watched by 30 million viewers. It’s still the most-watched episode in soap opera history.

Francis penned her own tribute to Geary on Facebook following her on-screen husband’s death, writing: “He was a powerhouse as an actor. Shoulder to shoulder with the greats. No star burned brighter than Tony Geary. He was one of a kind.”

Geary played Luke on and off until 2015 when he retired. He then moved to Amsterdam with Gama. The two, who met in 1995, married in 2019.

Earlier this month, Gama shared an image of himself and Geary cuddled up on the sofa. “Greetings from us in Amsterdam, he said. Game shared that “Ton” had been to see Wicked: For Good “with his best mate” before wishing his followers “a warm healthy and safe Friday and weekend.”

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