'General Hospital' star Leslie Charleson dies at 79

(NEXSTAR) – Leslie Charleson, perhaps best known for playing Dr. Monica Quartermaine on TV’s “General Hospital” for five decades, has passed away. She was 79.

News of Charleson’s death was announced Sunday by Frank Valentini, one of the show’s producers.

“It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of my dear friend and colleague, @lesliecharleson,” Valentini wrote on X. “Her enduring legacy has spanned nearly 50 years on @GeneralHospital alone and, just as Monica was the heart of the Quartermaine family, Leslie was a beloved matriarch of the entire cast and crew. I will miss our daily chats, her quick wit and incredible presence on set.

“On behalf of everyone at #GeneralHospital, my heartfelt sympathy goes out to her loved ones during this difficult time," Valentini added.

(L-R) Wally Kurth, Leslie Charleson and Lisa LoCicero are seen in a 2021 episode of "General Hospital." (Eric McCandless/ABC via Getty Images)

Charleson first took on the role of Dr. Monica Quartermaine in 1977, replacing the actress who was originally cast as Quartermaine the year before. She had since appeared on over 2,000 episodes of the popular daytime soap opera through 2023, according to IMDb.

Charleson, in a 2022 podcast interview with fellow “General Hospital” actor Maurice Bernard, once said the fandom surrounding her character got “crazy” during the ‘80s.

“[I was] going to colleges and seeing them all show up in scrubs … and having these kids say, ‘Oh, I changed my major because it interfered with my time with [‘General Hospital’],” she remembered.

Leslie Charleson appears with Ron Howard in a 1975 episode of "Happy Days." (ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)

In addition to “General Hospital,” Charleson’s credits include “Love Is a Many Splendored Thing,” “Adam-12,” “Marcus Welby, M.D.,” “Port Charles” and “Friends.” She also appeared on an episode of “Happy Days,” playing Richie Cunningham’s love interest, and later claimed in her 2022 interview with Bernard that she was Ron Howard’s first on-screen kiss.

“General Hospital” producer Valentini did not announce Charleson’s cause of death. Variety reported that Charleson was hospitalized following a recent fall and after a series of “health ups and downs over the past few years.”

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