General Hospital (GH) indicates there’s some sad news in the land of Port Charles, as reports reveal that actress Leslie Charleson, who played Monica Quartermaine, passed away on the morning of Sunday, January 12 at the age of 79.
GH’s Executive Producer, Frank Valentini hoped on the social media platform X, to announce the daytime drama’s loss.
He states, “It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of my dear friend and colleague, Leslie Charleson.”
Valentini’s tweet goes on to say, “Her enduring legacy has spanned nearly 50 years on ‘General Hospital’ alone and, just as Monica was the heart of the Quartermaines, Leslie was a beloved matriarch of the entire cast and crew.”
Valentini ends the post stating that he will miss his daily chats with Charleson, her quick wit, and incredible presence on the GH set. He added that on behalf of everyone on the soap, his heartfelt sympathy goes out to Leslie’s loved ones during this challenging time.
Charleson joined GH in 1977; however, has not been seen on the show since December 2023 due to her health issues.
Sadly, in recent years, Charleson has dealt with a number of falls that prevented her from appearing on the soap and getting around.
She did require a walker more recently, but it never brought her spirits down.
In 1964, the actress began her career in television, with a recurring role on the show called A Flame in the Wind, but was also involved in film projects, and appeared in a number of prime-time shows, in addition to GH, over the years.
Over her four decades as Monica Quartermaine, the character saw plenty of ups and downs. Sure, she hit the lottery by marrying into one of the towns wealthiest families, but that wasn’t without some drama along the way.
With that said, Charleston also dived into a lot of serious material, including Monica being a breast cancer survivor, as well as losing three children over the years, as well as the love of her life, Alan Quartermaine (Stuart Damon).
During her tenure as Monica, Charleson earned a total of four Daytime Emmy nominations in the category of Outstanding Lead Actress.
General Hospital spoilers hint that the show will likely start to organize a massive tribute show for Charleson in the weeks ahead, as she created a tremendous impact on the soap and in the land of daytime drama.
On behalf of everyone here, we extend our deepest condolences to Leslie’s family, friends, loved ones, colleagues, and fans during this very difficult time.
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