Anthony Geary: 'General Hospital' Actor Bids Goodbye to Luke Spencer Character

Actor Anthony Geary said farewell to "General Hospital" after filming his last episode this week, reported Entertainment Weekly. Geary portrayed the legendery soap character, Luke Spencer, on the daytime soap opera for more than 30 years. Together with co-star Genie Francis, he helped push the soap into the stratosphere in 1980 with the "Luke and Laura" love story.

It was an emotional goodbye for Geary, especially when his current and former co-stars arrived to give him a proper send-off, according to The Wrap.

Cast member Ryan Carnes, who plays Lucas Jones, posted a photo of himself with Geary on Twitter. "On set send-off today at #GH @GeneralHospital with the living #legend himself #AnthonyGeary, " he tweeted.

"To the legend Tony Geary not just a great actor but a great guy," tweeted co-star Maurice Benard, who plays Sonny Corinthos on the show. "I'm proud to call him my friend."

Former co-star Genie Francis showed up on set as well. Francis' character Laura Spencer was a longtime love interest to Geary's Luke Spencer, and it was their storyline that catapulted the show into a daytime TV success, according to CNN. The on-screen couple began their romance in the 1970s, and their 1981 wedding episode set a record for a daytime drama, with more than 30 million viewers.

Francis expressed her gratitude to Geary with a reference to the roles that brought them both major success. "Thank you for putting up with me as a petulant teenager," she said, according to Entertainment Weekly. "Thank you for the best acting partnership I've ever known."