‘GH’ Pays Episode-Length Tribute To Anthony Geary Today: “Luke, You Never Left Me,” Says Genie Francis’ Laura – Watch Clip
Today’s episode of ABC’s General Hospital will be a tribute to the soap’s late star Anthony Geary, who died December 14 at the age of 78, and his wildly popular character Luke Spencer.
The Luke character had been killed off in 2022. Today’s tribute will include key cast members such as Genie Francis (Laura Collins), Jane Elliot (Tracy Quartermaine), Maurice Benard (Sonny Corinthos), Laura Wright (Carly Spencer), Rebecca Herbst (Elizabeth Webber) and Alexa Havins (Lulu Spencer).
“Every memory leads back to Luke Spencer,” the show tweeted this morning. “Join us today, February 20th, for a very special (and emotional) episode honoring his legacy.”
A promo for the episode – watch it below – shows a candle being lit, some flashbacks to Geary episodes and a tearful Francis – whose character was half of the Luke & Laura supercouple of the 1980s – saying “Thank you for the love of a lifetime.”
The clip ends with the moment from Geary’s final episode in 2016 when he walks away, looks back and says, in voiceover, “It’s time to let go.”
In a YouTube trailer for the episode – watch it below – Benard’s Sonny says, “He was more than my friend, he was my brother.” We also see, among other snippets, Francis in a church pew saying, “Luke, you never left me.”
The episode kicks off with Luke’s daughter Lulu coming across an old photo of her dad, prompting her to show the picture to Luke’s partner Tracy, launching a pledge to honor the late character with memories and anecdotes.
The other characters on today’s episode then join in.
Geary died December 14 in the Netherlands following an operation three days earlier. The actor joined the soap in 1978 and was soon paired with Francis’s Laura Webber, becoming a long-running staple of the show.
In 1981, the wedding of Luke & Laura set daytime ratings records and made national headlines.
Geary won Daytime Awards for his General Hospital performance in 1982, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2012, and 2015.
General Hospital airs at 3 p.m. in New York and 2 p.m. in California; check local listings for other time zones. The soap streams on Hulu.
