General Hospital’s Laura, Genie Francis, Reacts To Anthony Geary’s Death: ‘I Am Crushed’
As General Hospital fans are mourning the loss of Port Charles superstar Anthony Geary, who passed away on December 14 at the age of 78, so, too, is Genie Francis. The Daytime Emmy-winning actress, who is still a central part of the show today, played the Laura to his Luke, and together, they created one of the most memorable and recognizable pairings in daytime history.
Fond Farewell
Francis joined GH in 1977, when she was only 14 years old, and Geary was cast as Luke the following year. His arrival was tied to her storyline, as Luke’s younger sister, Bobbie, summoned him to Port Charles to help her break up the blossoming love affair between Laura and Scotty Baldwin, who Bobbie wanted for herself. It was not the show’s original intention to pair Luke and Laura, but by 1981, they had become a cultural phenomenon, with the characters’ 1981 wedding watched by 30,000,000 fans. Francis exited as Laura the following year, but returned in 1983 so that Luke and Laura could reunite and leave the canvas together. The actors reprised Luke and Laura for a brief arc in 1984, then again starting in 1993. Francis’s comeback ended in 2002, but she worked with Geary in subsequent visits in 2006, 2008 and 2013. Then, in 2015, she returned to the show full-time as Geary was wrapping up his own GH tenure, having opted to retire.
On her official X (previously Twitter) account, Francis reacted to the sad news of Geary’s passing with a heartfelt message. “This morning I woke up and went into my husband’s arms,” she wrote, referring to her spouse, actor/director Jonathan Frakes. “In my sleep, my life was flashing before me and I was afraid of death. An hour later, I received a call from [GH Executive Producer] Frank Valentini, he told me Tony died.
“I immediately felt remorse,” the actress continued. “I hadn’t spoken to him in years, but I felt his life end in my sleep last night, and with it a big part of me, and mine. 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. As an artist, he was filled with a passion for the truth, no matter how blunt, or even a little rude it might be, but always hilariously funny. He was the anti-hero, always so irreverent, but even the most conservative had to smile. Working with him was always exciting. You never knew what might happen.”
Concluded Francis, “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.”
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