16 minutes ago, jasonminer1974 said:

Do a day of characters thinking about Luke and have Laura break character and say goodbye Tony

Next year marks the 45th anniversary of Luke and Laura's wedding. In story, that might be the best time to reminisce about Luke, specifically Tony Geary.

19 minutes ago, Chris B said:

The best way to pay tribute would just be to do it on the anniversary of when Luke died and have his closest family and friends gather to remember him properly. They could use Lulu as an excuse since she was in a coma when it first happened.

That's a good idea. I'd think JJ would come back, and they can easily just recast Nathan again if they have to acknowledge him.

1 hour ago, Planet Soap said:

exactly. How do you kill off the biggest male lead in the shows history in such a anticlimactic fashion as a random cable car accident. They could've said Helena or saving Lucky or something.

A fight to the death with Helena would have been a good way (although wasn't she dead by then). Heroics probably wouldn't have worked as Luke was not a hero in his last decades.

They probably should have had him pass away in a brothel.

8 hours ago, Khan said:

I'm absolutely devastated by this news...but I also have mixed feelings about it, too.

On the one hand, there's no denying the impact Luke and Laura have had - not just on GH, but on the industry as well. But, on the other hand, it's because of Luke and Laura, and the other shows' obsessive need to copycat that success, that the industry eventually collapsed under the weight of its' own '80's excesses; de-emphasizing and tossing out much of what made soaps so special to so many people - believable storylines, multigenerational casts, etc. - in order to capture a different kind of audience that was ever younger and ultimately proved to be so damn fickle.

Moreover, to say that TG and the majority of GH fans (along with Claire Labine and Wendy Riche) never exactly saw eye-to-eye on who and what Luke Spencer was would be an understatement, because the sociopath that was Luke in his final years in Port Charles...? That's not the Luke we fell in love with back in '79. Not by a longshot. And it's TG and his need to not feel bored or that he wasted his career and talents on a lowly soap opera that were responsible for turning Luke into a creature that hardly anyone recognized anymore and whom I, for one, was not sorry to see gone.

Regardless, though, my heart does go out to TG's former colleagues and loved ones. RIP.

4 hours ago, DRW50 said:

This sums it up for me.

I'd be a hypocrite to act like Luke or Geary meant anything to me as a soap fan. "My" soaps were CBS, and by the time I started watching GH in the mid '90s, I felt no connection to Luke. That only hardened as time passed and Geary's clear disdain for the character and the character's foundations also hardened.

I don't blame Monty for everything soaps became, any more than I blame JER, but there's such a dividing line, made worse because the better soap years are almost entirely lost to us.

These posts both speak to me. I was sad to hear of his passing, and I remember thinking Luke and his lore were cool when I started watching GH (as an adolescent who was not in any way cool). I missed what by most account what was the worst of Luke in later years. I did respect his supporting role in stories at times when he purportedly did not enjoy being on GH. I am remembering some of that now.

The rape is hard to reconcile with that Luke, or with core characters I loved continuing to indulge him later on.

Edited 5 hours ago5 hr by DeliaIrisFan

The gasp I let out at the library earlier as I was working on my writing projects. I about broke down.

I can't believe both of the Spencer duo are gone. Bobbie was my favorite so that tore me off. This...just...this hurts.

Count me in for not messing with his death, but I do hope they do something with him on screen.

Good and bad, Anthony Geary made Luke a force of nature and I can think of so many times when he enhanced so much story onscreen. I remember Luke leaving or returning to town to accommodate Anthony's vacation was always an event. Latter Years Luke wasn't a favorite, but Anthony Geary still had moments for me.

R.I.P.

9 hours ago, titan1978 said:

I am in shock. Quotes from his husband in the article. I will have to collect my thoughts. Sad for his family and friends.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/anthony-geary-dead-general-hospital-luke-spencer-1236450901/

HUGS

6 hours ago, Khan said:

Obviously, we'll never know exactly what Geary meant, but I think what Gloria Monty hated was the fact that most soaps at that time seem confined to "talking heads" regurgitating the same exposition over coffee inside various living rooms and kitchens. Monty wanted soaps to be more active, arguing that housewives and other viewers would be forced to put down their laundry or whatever and actually pay attention.

6 hours ago, titan1978 said:

I agree with this. You can see it in her shows, there is always movement. Those talking head scenes were walking around the nurses station, stopping at the counter at Kelly’s, etc. Scenes in the Webber home often begin or end with someone coming down the stairs, or headed to the door. I am sure Geary had run into plenty of issues where staging in a more traditional way hindered what he wanted to do and could seem stifling. Monty allowed improvisation, and spontaneity to be encouraged in rehearsals.

As a kid I always noticed that the ABC soaps of that era just felt more modern. When I watch old episodes now, the ABC shows still stand out that way. They took risks. Now I am not saying I think everything they did was fantastic- they had plenty of flops and bad ideas.

Before I started reading these threads a few years ago, I had no idea Luke and Laura were THE source of action/adventure in soaps. I thought they were just a symptom.

I don't resent that soaps evolved from a discussion based stage play to being more active, I would've appreciate more balance. EVERY soap didn't need to do action adventure.

I wonder if that also began the trend of soaps going toward the melodramatic storylines rather than being grounded in reality?

if so, I don't mind soaps going for a larger than life stories. There's countless dramas on television. soap is doing serialization and covering social topics is no longer groundbreaking as most TV show shows do it.

In this content saturated era, I don't mind larger than life stories being soap's niche to stand out.

Just don't get too extreme like a a gorilla and devil possession...And remember the budget constraints so those plots don't end up looking cheap and ridiculous.

Meanwhile, Y&R remains #1 having steered away from action adventure plots, stayes grounded in reality, and continues to maintain character driven plots with heavy dialogue.

26 minutes ago, Errol said:

Next year marks the 45th anniversary of Luke and Laura's wedding. In story, that might be the best time to reminisce about Luke, specifically Tony Geary.

A perfect time.

7 hours ago, dragonflies said:

Love this statement as well as Genie Francis's which gave me chills.

40 minutes ago, Errol said:

Next year marks the 45th anniversary of Luke and Laura's wedding. In story, that might be the best time to reminisce about Luke, specifically Tony Geary.

That would certainly give them time and be more than appropriate.

Making my way around Threads and other online corners seeing the reactions to his death has been very interesting. I had no clue Luke was so popular with the Black audience of GH. It’s another sad reminder how invested that audience has been in soaps and how little the actual show has included Black characters as leads at GH. Even Viola Davis commented about him on a post I saw from Marlon Wayans.

The GH of that time still commands mainstream pop culture attention that other soaps just don’t enjoy. It shows how vast that audience was and how the nostalgia of it hits close for people of a certain age. I felt the same way when Jackie Zeman died- I saw it everywhere for days, media and fan tributes, same with Tristan, Leslie, and a couple of years ago, Stuart Damon.

21 minutes ago, Planet Soap said:

I wonder if that also began the trend of soaps going toward the melodramatic storylines rather than being grounded in reality?

Soaps have had deep roots in melodrama way before Monty took control at GH. Even when rooted in more realistic stories, they were often overwrought.

8 hours ago, dragonflies said:

Seeing this reminds me we lost Denise not too long ago. I don't even think Lesley was appearing on GH at this time - I have a feeling they just put her in because Genie wasn't there.

Very sad to hear about Tony Geary's passing. He and Luke are woven into soap opera history - whether you loved or hated them. I know TG had his own feelings about being a soap star, but the truth is that he was caught in a lightning in a bottle moment that drew the attention of millions and essentially a generation. Even if you didn't watch soaps you knew Luke and Laura. He wasn't my favorite character but I could recognize the talent and I enjoyed him on GH. I think the tribute from Genie was beautiful.

Edited 4 hours ago4 hr by GLATWT88

Well, 2025 can just leave right now. What a horrific weekend it has been, and this is just the schitt cherry on top.

May Tony Geary fly with the angels, along with the many others lost this past weekend.

It's interesting how the fact that he was gay hasn't been given any attention in any of his orbitaries. It's just implied by them mentioning him having a husband. Imagine how different things would have been if his being gay came out in the heyday of his popularity in the early 80s or 90s. Him being a soap superstar who was closeted due to the times is part of his story.

Edited 19 minutes ago19 min by Jdee43