General Hospital Actor Anthony Geary Dies at 78 (Cause of Death Revealed)

Anthony Geary, who portrayed the roguish Luke Spencer on the ABC soap opera General Hospital for nearly four decades, died at age 78.

Cause of Death: Geary passed away Sunday, Dec. 14, after complications from a planned surgery in the Netherlands, where he had lived since retiring from the show in 2015.

His sister Deann Geary confirmed the death. Geary's husband, Claudio Gama, told TV Insider:

"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 added that the couple's cat Max had been part of their family for the last 16 years.

Geary won eight Daytime Emmy Awards for his role as Luke Spencer, a record for lead actor in a drama series, with victories in 1982, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2012 and 2015.

He first joined General Hospital in 1978 as a hitman character, and his on-screen romance with Laura Webber, played by Genie Francis, drew massive audiences, culminating in a 1981 wedding episode viewed by 30 million people.

That storyline landed the pair on the cover of Newsweek magazine. Geary also appeared in other soaps like Bright Promise and The Young and the Restless early in his career, plus films such as UHF and Carpool Guy.

Frank Valentini, executive producer of General Hospital, said in a statement:

"The entire General Hospital family is heartbroken over the news of Tony Geary’s passing. Tony was a brilliant actor and set the bar that we continue to strive for. His legacy, and that of Luke Spencer’s, will live on through the generations of G.H. castmembers who have followed in his footsteps."

Geary performed in over 50 stage productions throughout his career.