'General Hospital' star Anthony Geary of Luke and Laura fame dies at 78

Anthony Geary, who rose to fame in the 1970s and '80s as half the daytime TV super couple Luke and Laura on “General Hospital,” has died. He was 78.

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Anthony Geary, whose portrayal of Luke Spencer helped define General Hospital and daytime television,” ABC said in a statement confirming his death.

Geary died Sunday in Amsterdam of complications from a surgical procedure three days prior.

“The entire ‘General Hospital’ family is heartbroken over the news of Tony Geary’s passing,” Frank Valentini, executive producer of the ABC show, said in a statement Monday. “Tony was a brilliant actor and set the bar that we continue to strive for.”

In a career spanning more than 40 years, Geary earned eight Daytime Emmy awards as Luke Spencer after joining the soap in 1978. Luke's pairing with Genie Francis' Laura Webber Baldwin (as she was known at the time) propelled the two onto magazine covers and into the cultural mainstream.

The 1981 wedding of Luke and Laura was a pop culture phenom done in two parts, drawing guest appearances that included Elizabeth Taylor. A record 30 million viewers watched.

“He was a powerhouse as an actor. Shoulder to shoulder with the greats. No star burned brighter than Tony Geary. He was one of a kind. As an artist, he was filled with a passion for the truth, no matter how blunt, or even a little rude it might be, but always hilariously funny,” Francis said in a statement.

In addition to his role as Luke, Geary had numerous TV and stage credits, including stints on other soaps: "The Young and the Restless" and “Bright Promise.” Geary played Luke on and off until 2015, though he returned for a cameo in 2017.

He lived a quiet life with husband Claudio Gama in Amsterdam.

In a 1993 interview, Geary spoke of the many highs and lows of playing Luke.

“I felt like I had to be Luke 24 hours a day or people would be disappointed,” he said. “As far as I’m concerned, they are mythic creatures. They come from two sides of the universe together and have a mutual connection, which is basically lust and appreciation for individuality. They love the eccentricity in each other.”

Geary's Luke began as a small-time hitman recruited to dismantle the relationship of Laura and her first husband, Scotty Baldwin. Their story arc turned darker when Luke sexually assaulted Laura. The assault led to a redemption trail for Luke, who evolved into a hero and even served as mayor of the show's small town, Port Charles.

“He was not created to be a heroic character,” Geary told ABC's “Nightline” in 2015. “He was created to be an anti-hero, and I have treasured the anti-side of the hero and pushed it for a long time. ... He’s not a white hat or a black hat, he’s all shades of grey. And that has been the saving grace of playing him all these years.”

Geary was born to Mormon parents in Coalville, Utah. He was discovered while attending the University of Utah and performing on stage. He joined a touring company of “The Subject was Roses,” which brought him to Los Angeles.

Over the years, he appeared frequently in stage productions alongside his screen work.

Geary's first appearance on TV was as Tom Whalom on an episode of “Room 222.” He went on to appear in “All in the Family,” “The Partridge Family,” “The Mod Squad,” “Marcus Welby, M.D.,” “The Streets of San Francisco” and “Barnaby Jones.”

FILE - Anthony Geary accepts the award for outstanding lead actor in a drama series, for his work on "General Hospital," at the 33rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on April 28, 2006. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

FILE - Anthony Geary holds up his Emmy as poses for photographers after winning "Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series" at the 31st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards in New York, May 21, 2004.(AP Photo/ Tina Fineberg, File)

FILE - Christian Jules Le Blanc, left, poses with Anthony Geary and Maura West, right, winners of the awards for outstanding lead actor and actress in a drama series for "General Hospital", at the 42nd annual Daytime Emmy Awards at Warner Bros. Studios, April 26, 2015, in Burbank, Calif. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

FILE - Anthony Geary attends the Disney ABC panel for "General Hosptial" at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on July 26, 2012, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Todd Williamson/Invision/AP, File)

A decision by a Paris labor court in the financial dispute between Kylian Mbappé and his former club Paris Saint-Germain is expected on Tuesday — the latest chapter in a judicial saga involving colossal sums.

Lawyers argued last month before the Conseil de prud’hommes de Paris, with each side demanding hundreds of millions of euros from the other regarding the end of the player’s contract before his move to Real Madrid in the summer of 2024.

Amid accusations of betrayal and harassment surrounding the breakdown of their relationship, Mbappé's lawyers claimed PSG owes him more than 260 million euros ($305 million). They argue his fixed-term contract should be reclassified as a permanent one, triggering compensation for unfair dismissal and unpaid wages. They have also alleged moral harassment and undeclared work.

PSG, meanwhile, is seeking 440 million euros from Mbappé, citing damages and a “loss of opportunity” after he left on a free transfer.

Tuesday's decision can be appealed and is unlikely to end the dispute. The panel may also decide to decline jurisdiction or to adjourn the case to a later hearing, sitting in parity with a tie-breaking judge if no majority emerges.

The ruling may have broader consequences for player contracts and labor law in French soccer, even as PSG maintains that Mbappé’s request to reclassify his contract as a permanent one is without legal basis.

The club argues that professional players’ contracts are a special form of fixed-term agreements regulated by the sports code and validated by the French professional league, in accordance with both French and European Union law. Mbappé’s legal team disagrees, saying the reclassification of a fixed-term contract into a permanent contract is a standard procedure when legal conditions for a fixed-term deal are not fulfilled.

The relationship between the 2018 World Cup winner and the reigning European champion turned bitter when Mbappé decided in 2023 not to extend his contract, which was set to expire in summer 2024.

This deprived the club of a juicy transfer fee despite having offered him the most lucrative contract in club history when he signed a new deal in 2022. He was sidelined from a preseason tour and forced to train with fringe players. He missed the opening league game but returned to the lineup for a final season after discussions with the club — talks that are central to the dispute.

The club accuses Mbappé of backing out of an August 2023 agreement that allegedly included a pay reduction should he leave on a free transfer, an arrangement PSG says was meant to protect its financial stability. PSG claims Mbappé hid his decision not to extend his contract for nearly 11 months, from July 2022 to June 2023, preventing the club from arranging a transfer and causing major financial harm. It accuses him of violating contractual obligations and the principles of good faith and loyalty.

Mbappé’s camp insists PSG has never produced evidence that the striker agreed to forego any payment. His lawyers claim the club failed to pay wages and bonuses for April, May, and June 2024. They are also seeking reclassification of his fixed-term contract into a permanent one, which would trigger compensation. Mbappé also accuses PSG of moral harassment, citing his treatment when sidelined. His total claim exceeds 260 million euros, combining unpaid salary, contractual bonuses, severance, indemnities, and damages for workplace misconduct.

PSG rejects all accusations of harassment, highlighting that Mbappé took part in over 94% of matches in 2023–24 and always worked under conditions compliant with the Professional Football Charter.

PSG is seeking a total of 440 million euros in damages, including 180 million euros for the lost opportunity to transfer Mbappé because he left as a free agent after declining a 300 million euros offer from Saudi club Al-Hilal in July 2023.

Mbappé joined Real Madrid in the summer of 2024 on a free transfer after scoring a club-record 256 goals in seven years at PSG, which won the Champions League this year without him.

FILE - PSG striker Kylian Mbappe, right, and PSG president Nasser Al-Al-Khelaifi attend a press conference Monday, May 23, 2022 at the Paris des Princes stadium in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler, File)

FILE - PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaifi, left, speaks to PSG's Kylian Mbappe as it is announced he has signed a three year extension to his contract, at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, France, Saturday, May 21, 2022. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler, File)