Anthony Geary, ‘General Hospital’ star who played Luke Spencer, dies at 78, reports say

(Gray News) - Anthony Geary, an eight-time Daytime Emmy winner, has died, according to multiple reports. He was 78.

His husband, Claudio Gama, confirmed Geary’s death to TV Insider, which reported he died in the Netherlands Sunday after complications from a scheduled operation he had three days earlier.

“It was a shock for me and our families and our friends,” Gama told the TV Insider. “For more than 30 years, Tony has been my friend, my companion, my husband.”

Geary was best known for playing Luke Spencer on “General Hospital,” a role he originated on the soap opera in 1978. Luke was paired with Genie Francis’s Laura, and together they became daytime’s biggest supercouple.

Their 1981 wedding was watched by 30 million people, the most-watched episode in soap opera history. Geary left the series in 2015.

In that role, he was nominated for 17 Daytime Emmys and won a record-breaking eight.