Eight-time Daytime Emmy winner Anthony Geary has died at the age of 78.
On Monday (Dec 15.), family members confirmed that Anthony Geary died Sunday following complications from surgery, per The Hollywood Reporter.
Geary and his husband Claudio Gama have lived in Amsterdam since Geary retired from the show in 2015, according to TV Insider.
In a statement issued to the outlet, Gama mourned his husband.
“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 said. The couple met in February 1995 and married in February 2019 — exclusively in Amsterdam.
The day prior to his surgery, Geary reportedly filmed a scene with former General Hospital co-star Anders Hove for an untitled project. The scene will serve as his final acting credit.
Born Tony Dean Geary in Coalville, Utah, the actor began his career in Los Angeles with the help of actor Jack Albertson and had several guest roles before originating the role of antihero Lucas Lorenzo Spencer on General Hospital, for what was supposed to be a 13-week run.
Along with the ratings success, Geary won the Daytime Soap Opera Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1982.
Although he left the show in 1984, Geary returned in 1993 to once again portray Spencer.
His performance once again earned him the Daytime Soap Opera Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for the second time in 1999. Geary would go on to win the award a record eight times.
Geary’s IMDB said he was in 1,995 episodes of the soap from 1978 through 2017.
“Our condolences are with our friends at General Hospital on the passing of Anthony Geary, who won a record-breaking eight Emmys in the Lead Actor category,” Rachel Schwartz, Head of Daytime / Children’s & Family Emmys, shared in a statement. “As one half of the power couple ‘Luke and Laura,’ their popularity brought daytime television into the zeitgeist and created one of the genre’s most beloved super-couples. Our sympathies are with his family, colleagues, and loved ones