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GENERAL HOSPITAL: Mike’s Funeral Brings The Alzheimer’s Storyline Full Circle to Its Heart-Tugging Conclusion

By Michael Fairman

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Courtesy/ABC

When a soap opera allows a full episode to stay in the story they are telling, it can often make for a riveting hour of television.  This was the case and then some on Thursday’s emotional ending to General Hospital’s Alzheimer’s storyline; when the character of Mike Corbin (Max Gail) was given a proper send-off – a funeral – and being eulogized by those who loved and cared for him.

When GH is at its best through the years has been when it tackles social issues of our time, and this story will stand among the iconic soap’s best.  The backdrop of the story was that of father and son, grappling with and coming to terms with the past, finding love, forgiveness and redemption against this most horrific of diseases that has afflicted so many.

In the episode, Sonny (Maurice Benard) and Carly (Laura Wright) go to church and prepare themselves for the emotional day as mourners come through and share their grief and condolensces and love for Mike.  Those included: Kristina (Lexi Ainsworth – back for this one), Stella (Vernee Watson), Olivia (Lisa LoCicero) and a touching moment between Diane (Carolyn Hennesy) and Carly where the legal eagle says to Carly that if she ever needs to drink and vent let her know.

 

As the funeral begins, one by one Mike’s family and friends say beautiful words of what he meant to them,. Michael reflects about how his grandfather loved to party and how he’d like them all to raise a glass for him. . Olivia, speaks on behalf of Dante (Dominic Zamprogna), and how close Mike and Dante were.  Ava (Maura West) talks about the love and kindness and joy he brought to little Avery.

Courtesy/ABC

When Elizabeth (Rebecca Herbst) got up to speak, things became even more heartbreaking when she flashes back to a scene where she was having a terrible time and Mike was there for – always a great listener- but he tells he eventually, he will not remember her.

GH did a outstanding job of selecting scenes throughout the eulogies that punctuated who Mike was … and how he tied in to all of the characters lives.  Jason (Steve Burton) shared how he knew it wasn’t easy for Mike to come back and try to make amends with Sonny, but that no matter what, Mike kept trying to get through to Sonny to make things right between them.

Courtesy/ABC

Stella’s moment was also heartbreaking recalling the man who became her friend.  Carly, who was the glue that held Sonny and the family together during Mike’s illness, shared her doubt if the family could handle Mike, and what was to come, but how Sonny helped his father find inner-peace..

When Sonny gets up to talk he reveals he had a lot of anger towards his father, and how the illness made him truly see the man his dad was inside.  Sonny tells his dad he is proud of him and how grateful he was that he came back into his life.   Next, Josslyn (Eden McCoy) sings as the mourners reflect back on Mike in a touching series of juxtaposed clips against the characters in the moment at the funeral.

Courtesy/ABC

After the service had concluded Sonny and Carly talk how Morgan and Mike are together now, but Sonny asks for some time alone in the church. It is then Mike appears and tells his son it’s time he forgave himself, since Sonny forgave Mike.  He tells Sonny that he has made him very proud.  As he gets up to leave he kisses Sonny on the forehead and goes towards the light and to heaven.  Just after that, Dante appears at the front of the church, shocking Sonny in a beautiful analogy that now this father and son must deal with what’s ahead in their relationship, just as Sonny and Mike had done.

Courtesy/ABC

This episode featured beautiful work by Maurice Benard, and Max Gail and everyone in the supporting cast who had their moments.  It was an ensemble piece but led by Benard and Gail, who should both be receiving Emmys in 2021 for their work..

What did you think of Mike’s funeral episode? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.

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It was so beautiful! GH has done such a wonderful job with this storyline from start to this stellar finish. More than just Emmy-worthy, it was so cathartic for those of us who have had to go through this with our loved ones and enlightening to those who have not. Bravo, GH! And Thank You to ALL involved!!!

The writers screwed up when they had Olivia speaking on behalf of Dante. She claimed that Dante only got to know his grandfather after he was diagnosed with Alzheimers, but that’s not true.

In fact, Dante rented a room at Kelly’s when he first came to Port Charles, and OG Mike was running Kelly’s at the time. He didn’t know Dante was his grandson for a while, but they certainly got to know each other.

Also seems a little ridiculous that Dante didn’t get there until after the service. He must be the first person in Port Charles history that actually took a realistic amount of time to travel from overseas. Usually they get there so fast you would think they had the transport beam from the Starship Enterprise.

I have to agree it was so beautifully done I’m so mad because for some reason iTunes stopped selling GH episodes. the last episode available was sept 11, and nothing after that has been available to purchase, I had a season pass for the show and I’m getting nothing. still back to the Alzheimer storyline concluding, it was sad, but poignant and my fave part was at the end when Dante showed up and Sonny was just so surprised, can you imagine if Morgan had shown up? Sonny would of dropped dead right there of the shock. Great episode that I’m mad I can’t have for keeps.

aria
I know nothing of techs or whatever, but I can usually find anything on Utube which I get on my device. Sometimes I’ll watch a couple of hours of an old show or Soap from years back or something I’ve recently missed.

This story was simply amazing from start to finish and the actors hit it out of the park. The ending with Mike appearing to Sonny and telling him to forgive himself was perfection as was the kiss on Sonny’s head and Mike going toward the light. Bravo GH Emmys all around.

Thank the effin heaven. this is so revered… the stench wafts that much thicker. praise be to the light , that is Maurice Benard. NOW that this bible chapter has been logged stamped Carly and Sonny hour. Move us Frank Valentini

I can’t say enough about how well that episode was done. From top down it was flawless. Writing team should be applauded because this was a well written story from start to finish. In my opinion, the great acting paired with writing made it one of best stories in daytime in a very long time!

I will miss Max Gail/Mike..
He is pure gold/a treasure.
It’s a shame to have brought him in to die 🙁
he would have been an all-time awesome character.

I didn’t watch the funeral..
I scrolled the bar to see if anything other would be, but not.
I scrolled/zipped through the funeral.
I didn’t need the sadness and tears, not a good thing.
I’m not an emotional masochist … lol

Su000, well, I’m an emotional masochist so I watched. Brilliant performances. Speaking of emotional masochists, do you watch What We Do In the Shadows? It’s a mockumentary about vampires, and it’s hilarious. There is an emotional vampire on that show who is not only incredibly funny, he’s incredibly realistic. We all have an emotional vampire in our lives. I hope you and your family are doing well.

The storyline was amazing. Max and Maurice were outstanding. Shout out to all the other actors in the storyline. I’ll miss Max Gail. Good luck to him in his future endeavors. He’s a Rockstar.

Kudos to Max Gail for completing his run as Mike. His portrayal of a man in a devastating condition was quite special.

That said, I’m not saddened by his departure. As soon as Gail was recast in the role, the character was revealed to have Alzheimer’s. The writers didn’t allow time to reintroduce a character that had been off the canvas and barely mentioned for 8 years to build up some authenticity. Gail, who again did a great job, could have been playing any Alzheimer’s patient.

I know Ron Hale retired from acting, so it was not possible to bring him back. Sadly, that ruled out any flashbacks which would’ve added to the drama. Imagine seeing a scene from 15-20 years ago that any character vividly remembers, that Mike could no longer.

A few other points:
Hopefully now we can have a break from the Sonny propping for a while.

The show has no idea what to do with Kristina. Time to send her back to college somewhere until there’s a compelling reason for her to be on the canvas.

Overall, the show has a lot more hits than misses these days.

Beautifully done

GH gets an A+! It will be interesting to see how Y&R wraps up Dina’s story. The show is terrible right now but her an the Abbotts are all good actors and have treated the story with care. I cannot see them outdoing GH but we shall see soon. Mike and Sonny were just above and beyond daytime’s #1 actors this year.

What’s up with Jason and Sam? He’s kind of leaving her in the dark about everything going on, almost giving her the cold shoulder.
How about that bitch Gladys? Today she was her usual greedy self, but Brando seemed overly anxious to spy for Sonny. I am glad that Dante is back, but what does that mean for Luluhoop and “Darius”? Dante couldn’t get whatsizname’s right. He will probably end up with Brook Lynn.

When it comes to social issue storylines, no other soap can top General Hospital. Period.

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‘General Hospital’s’ Dominic Zamprogna Shares He Was ‘Happy to Hear’ of The Triangle Storyline Developing Between Dante/Elizabeth/Ric

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Dominic Zamprogna

General Hospital’s Dominic Zamprogna (Dante Falconeri) opened up about the burgeoning love triangle forming between his Port Charles alter-go, Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst) and Ric Lansing (Rick Hearst) after recently aired scenes, plus his hopes for the future of a Dante and Liz pairing, during his appearance on the Sunday, April 23 edition of the That’s Awesome podcast with Steve Burton (Jason Morgan) and Bradford Anderson (Spinelli).

On last week’s episodes of GH, Ric has made the decision that he wanted to propose to his ex-wife, only when he showed up at Elizabeth’s front door, he misread the scenario he walked in with Liz tending to Dante’s injured leg from the softball game. From there, the legal eagle’s jealous streak is reemerging which may cause him to act out and do something unforgivable, or will he take the high road? Stay tuned.

Speaking with Steve Burton and Bradford Anderson about where Elizabeth stands in the annals of the long-running soap, Zamprogna said, “She’s up there with Steve and Maurice (Maurice Benard) as one of the most legacy-filled people on the show.”

Courtesy/ABC

HOW DANTE AND ELIZABETH CAME ABOUT

Dominic jokes it’s a far cry for where Dante and Elizabeth previously, recalling, “We had some scenes together years ago and we were both laughing. Becky’s like, ‘Well, I guess we’re not going be paired up anytime soon.’ I remember we laughed immediately after they yelled ‘cut,”‘and said to each other, ‘Well, so much for that!'”

Fast-forward to early 2025 and as Zamprogna remembered it, “Elizabeth Korte (co-head writer, GH) came up to me at the General Hospital Christmas party, and I think it was a year and a half ago and she said, ‘We’re going to have you in scenes with Elizabeth,’ My internal monologue is going, ‘I’m not with Lulu (Alexa Havins) anymore and Sam’s (Kelly Monaco) gone, so maybe they want to see if this works.’ I didn’t want to get scenes with Becky and try to find the chemistry. I just wanted to play whatever honestly was written and came across for both of us and hope it was what people liked, and I don’t know if it is … or not.”

Knowing how beloved Elizabeth is to the GH faithfuls, Zamprogna added, “She got a big fan base with Ric … and a big fan base with with Jason … and you know, you’re going to piss somebody off. But, didn’t Ric drug Elizabeth and put Carly in a panic room?”

Dom and Liz

Photo: ABC

DANTE AND ELIZABETH PAIRING COULD STIR UP STORY FOR OTHERS IN PORT CHARLES

In closing, Dominic felt that the wide-reaching tentacles of a Dante and Elizabeth relationship is something he is 100% down for. “The triangle thing; I was happy to hear it was with Ric and her, because I felt it’s important to have her the top of it as opposed to Dante, Lulu and Elizabeth.”

Zamprogna added, “When you get into relationships on a soap, things seem to fizzle out a little bit, The buildup is what’s the fun part, and the getting to know each other, and the people who are affected by this coming together. When with this case it’s going to affect: Ric, Sonny, Lulu. There’s so much more story here. To me, it’s going to be a fun story to play.”

You can check out Dominic’s visit to That’s Awesome with Steve and Bradford below.

Now weigh-in: Are you rooting for Dante and Liz, or Dante and Ric at this juncture of the story, or neither guy  for Elizabeth? Let us know your thoughts and picks via the comment section.

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GH and OLTL Alum Patrick J. Gibbons Reveals the Story Behind Writing Trina’s Song on ‘General Hospital’ (Exclusive)

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Patrick J. Gibbons

At the conclusion of today’s August 21 episode of General Hospital, Trina Robinson (Tabyana Ali) sings a lullaby to baby Dez, that went into a montage to close out the episode as her father Curtis Ashford (Donnell Turner) reports to Pentonville and winds up in his jail cell.

However, in a fun fact, the song entitled, “A Lonely Heart To Give” was actually written by none other than former One Life to Live and General Hospital actor, Patrick J. Gibbons.

Daytime fans first met Gibbons as Sam Manning on One Life to Live. At the time, when he started on the soap, he was just 5-years-old. Gibbons played the part from 2010-2013 on ABC and Prospect Park’s editions of the show. Fast-forward to 2018, Gibbons shows up on General Hospital as Wyatt Hoover, the scout who seemed always be injured, but in the thick of the drama. Patrick had appeared on GH multiple times as Wyatt including: 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023.

Photo: ABC

FROM HIS GRANDMOTHER’S DEATH CAME THE INSPIRATION FOR HIS SONG

Now in 2026, General Hospital fans are getting to learn about another side of Gibbons’ talent as a songwriter and guitar player after “A Lonely Heart to Give” debuted today! Michael Fairman TV caught up with Patrick, who is now a senior at Penn State entering his final year as a finance major, to get the back-story of how his song wound up on GH!

Gibbons explained he wrote the song in honor of his grandmother who passed away a few years ago with whom he was, very, very close with. “Randomly, my grandmother had a downfall and passed away during the second semester of my sophomore year. I was in my dorm a lot and I was just playing with my guitar. And at the time, I was really into finger-style playing. I wrote the lyric and music to it (with a little help from my guitar teacher Lou), and my mom showed the rough demo to Frank Valentini (EP, General Hospital). He’s like an uncle to me. Frank loved it so much he said, “Finish that up. I want to hear the whole thing, and I want it on the show.”

MAKING MUSIC FOR GENERAL HOSPITAL

Gibbons and his parents took the next steps! “So now, all we needed was a female voice, because I thought that would fit the song well,” Patrick shared. “At the golf club we go to my parents were at a dinner. They liked the singer that was performing and spoke to her about the song, and she says she would like to bring it to her ‘boss’ who ended up being Eric Bazilian of the Hooters fame!” (Bazilian also wrote the smash hit song “One of Us” for Joan Osborne).

Next, “We went in the studio and recorded it and the song came together and it was beautiful. We loved it. They loved it at General Hospital and now they’re putting it the show and they are coming in with a piano, instead of a guitar. Paul Glass, the GH musical director, has been keeping us updated over the last six months of how it was coming along, and when it would air, and how GH put their own arrangement to it. I can’t wait to see and hear what they did with it.”

Photo: JPI

PATRICK’S ONE LIFE TO LIVE FAMILY

Everyone knows that the One Life to Live extended family share a very tight bond, and Patrick said he does stay in touch with a few of his former One Life to Live co-stars, especially those from the Manning family! “I stayed in touch with Kassie DePaiva (ex-Blair) and sent her little videos here and there. She was like my second mom for five years. We keep in contact with Kristen Alderson (ex-Starr) over X the most, and she can’t believe how big I’ve gotten. Like, none of them can! (laughs). I also loved working with Roger Howarth (ex-Todd) and Trevor St. John (ex-Todd and Victor Jr.), and to me since I was so young, they were just my friends, ‘Roger and Trevor,’ not Todd Manning or Victor Jr.”

It was a trip to California and a visit to Port Charles that ultimately led to Gibbons second soap role of Wyatt Hoover. Patrick explains, “In 2016, Frank Valentini invited us out to Los Angeles to visit the set of General Hospital. I think he heard me say, ‘This is so much fun. I miss being on the set.’ He goes, ‘You should come out. I’ll bring you on the show. We can make you a character.'”

A few years later, Patrick’s dream became a reality! “Then, by the summer of 2018, I was playing Wyatt, the scout, and shared scenes with Wes Ramsey (Peter August), and the best was when I shared a scene with Roger Howarth and Michael Easton (ex-John, OLTL and ex-Silas, Finn et al, GH), it was like chemistry from the old days.”

Photo: PGibbons

IT’S ALL IN THE NUMBERS

As to his future aspirations, it’s a career in the finance game that has piqued Gibbons’ real-life interest. But never say never to a return to acting. Patrick explained, “I’ve always enjoyed numbers. And on top of that, one of the biggest parts of finance is being personable and outgoing.”

He continued, “That’s one of the greatest skills I developed growing up. I really love the markets. I’m super interested. I’m never going to close the door to acting. I’m always open to that because I just love it so much. It’s such a great art.”

Take note! If there are any investment bankers or private equity folks among the GH faithful looking for a young analyst next year, Patrick’s DMs are open. You can find him on X at @PatrickJGibbons.

So, what did you think of the song sung by Trina on today’s GH that was written by Patrick J. Gibbons? Did you enjoy Patrick’s performances as One Life’s Sam and GH’s Wyatt? Would you like to see him back on GH at some point? Let us know via the comment section.

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‘General Hospital’ Alum Chad Duell Admits That He Didn’t Expect the Role of Michael Corinthos to be Recast, and Would Consider Working on Another Soap (Exclusive)

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Chad Duell, the Daytime Emmy-winning actor, who stepped away from the pivotal role of Michael Corinthos on General Hospital, opened up about: his previous decision to leave the series after nearly 15 years, where’s he’s at now after time away from the demands of a daytime soap opera, and took a stroll down memory lane with some of Michael’s most-acclaimed storyline during his run, during a livestream chat on August 19 on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel.

Viewers last saw Duell on-screen as Michael in January of 2025, and with his successor in the role, Rory Gibson making his debut at the GH Nurses’ Ball in episodes that aired later in May. It was clear that during the conversation, Chad was a bit surprised that the GH brass decided to recast him when he thought he was just taking some much needed time off.

Burn-out of the daily grind of being on a soap was definitely a part of Chad’s decision to take a break. Duell explained “People know when you’re doing something for so long or your character is kind of in the same place for so long or doing the same stuff over and over again, you do get a a little burnt out, you get a little stiff, stale, a little stiff at times. I didn’t want that to be any sort of lasting impression. I have 15 years of a body of work of I’ve done on that show, which is fantastic.”

Chad Duell

Photo: ABC

WHILE CHAD WAS AWAY GH RECAST MICHAEL CORINTHOS WITH RORY GIBSON

Chad shared, his mindset when leaving GH was, “I’m taking some time away, we’ll see what happens.” Then he added, “Obviously, they decided to go in a different direction with Michael when I was gone. I didn’t think they were going to bring somebody back in my place. But you know, it’s the business. You never know what can happen.”

Duell also shared he has not watched a single episode of General Hospital since he left the series, but now feels he reenergized following the loss of his father and stepping away from the GH, “I’m in a place now mentally, where I’m ready to sink my teeth into it again.”

Courtesy/ABC

Even though he is no longer Michael on GH, Chad was very happy with his final storyline where Michael was set on fire when a bomb exploded at Sonny’s (Maurice Benard) penthouse. “It was fun to put him in a dangerous situation, because I was wanting Michael to be in something scary instead of trying to be a hero character or just things happening around him, but to be the center point of tragedy happening to him. (I always saw) Michael as the heart of the (Corinthos) family.”

When Michael was badly burned the show chose not burn his face, which normally a soap does when they are recasting role and switching actors. Chad weighed-in, “They didn’t burn my face because I told Frank Valentini (EP, GH) I’m willing to come back. It was just a little bit of a break. So, I assumed that if they would have burned my face, they could have brought somebody back looking different than me… if that’s what their plan was.”

Courtesy/ABC

MEMORABLE MICHAEL STORYLINES

One of Chad’s most memorable performances was the in the storyline of Michael’s rape while he was sentenced to prison in 2010 and the confession of it in 2011. “It was so well-written and I was very nervous,” recalled Chad. “When I get really nervous about something, it ends up being really good when I do it, because it just means I care a lot about it”

“I have to put a lot of effort and work into it, and I really want it to be good.  I was working with Dominic  Zamprogna (Dante) and Steve Burton (Jason) a lot during those scenes, and Laura Wright (Carly). It was great working with Steve and Dominic, especially, during that storyline.

A NEW SOAP ROLE FOR CHAD?

As to a future soap opera role, Chad is open to the idea and would love to jump back in to a juicy role, “I know people over at The Bold and the Beautiful, and The Young and the Restless. They know that if they’re interested, I would love to come in for a screen test or something, and they can see what I’m doing.”

Meanwhile, Chad has been busy putting out new music under the moniker Duelly and during the interview he explains how he creates his EDM tracks and much more. You can stream his latest single, Static in the Quiet Room on Spotify, Apple Music and You Tube Music.

You can check out the full conversation with Chad Duell below.

Now let us know: what show would you like to see Chad cast on down the line? BTG, DAYS, B&B, Y&R, or a new role on GH? What did you think of his thoughts on the casting switch while he was away in the role of Michael? What was your favorite Michael storyline during Chad’s 15-year run on the ABC soap opera? Let us know via the comment section.

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