Leslie Charleson, Longest-Tenured General Hospital Cast Member, Dies at 79 :(

[50 Shades Of Blue]

The actress played Monica Quartermaine on the series from 1977 until her death
By Victoria Edel
Published on January 12, 2025 06:45PM EST

Leslie Charleson has died at the age of 79.

The actress was best known as Monica Quartermaine on the soap opera General Hospital, a role she began playing in 1977, making her the cast member who was on the show the longest. She was a four-time Daytime Emmy nominee.

General Hospital's executive producer Frank Valentini announced Charleson's death on the show's official Instagram page on Sunday, Jan. 12. "It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of my dear friend and colleague, Leslie Charleson," he began.

"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," he continued. "I will miss our daily chats, her quick wit and incredible presence on set."

https://people.com/leslie-charleson-dead-general-hospital-actress-8605210

She has many other credits... but I'll always remember her for a soap called Love Is A Many Splendored Thing, that I watched in the late '60's, and General Hospital (although I stopped watching that years ago).

[John1956PA]

1. In reading Ms. Charleson's biography, I learned of a few 1960s soap operas.

Ms. Charleson started her soap opera career on "A Flame in the Wind" which, after one season, was renamed "A Time for Us." That series ran from 1964 to 1966.

[50 Shades Of Blue]

2. I wasn't familiar with that one, so I looked it up on IMDB. Richard Thomas was on 341 episodes!