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General Hospital Stars Attend ‘Celebration of Life’ in Memory of Leslie Charleson

By Michael Fairman

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Photos: JPI and IBuchananIG

When Leslie Charleson (Monica Quartermaine), the longest-tenured cast member of General Hospital, passed away back on January 12th of this year, it was a heartbreaking loss for the show, its fans and Leslie’s co-stars, friends, and colleagues.

Charleson, died at the age of 79, to which the Los Angeles medical examiner’s office deemed as her cause of death “sequelae of blunt head trauma.” Leslie had taken several falls over recent years, so it may have been attributed to a prior injury.

Over the weekend, several of Leslie’s longtime friends and cast members, attended a “Celebration of Life” in her honor in Los Angeles, California including: Finola Hughes (Anna), Ian Buchanan (ex-Duke), Lisa LoCicero (Olivia) and Lynn Herring (Lucy).

Photo: IBuchananIG

Taking to her Instagram, Finola Hughes honored Leslie by expressing,”Beautiful celebration of this wonderful woman. The stories about Lester’s generosity and kindness and above all her fun loving way of life. Her love of animals, her horses, her joy in acting. It was touching to bring her two worlds together for an afternoon, her GH family and her equestrian friends 💕 rip sweet Lester, we love you”

Ian Buchanan shared, “A Wonderful Celebration for a Glorious Friend.❤️❤️❤️”  Lisa LoCicero responded to Ian’s post and noted, “Always great to see you Ian.. and a perfect celebration of a beautiful soul..❤️❤️❤️

Photo: JPI

Charleson played Monica Quartermaine for 47 years on the ABC daytime drama series and debuted on the soap back in 1977 replacing Patsy Rahn in the part. The beloved actress last appeared on-screen on GH in an episode back in December of 2023. In October of 2024, it was announced that Leslie would unlikely ever return in the role, but with the understanding she would not be recast.

It was back on January 12th that GH executive producer, Frank Valentini broke the news of Leslie’s passing on X, sharing, “It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of my dear friend and colleague. Her enduring legacy has spanned nearly 50 years on General Hospital alone and, just as Monica was the heart of the Quartermaine family, Leslie was a beloved matriarch of the entire cast and crew. I will miss our daily chats, her quick wit and incredible presence on set. On behalf of everyone at General Hospital, my heartfelt sympathy goes out to her loved ones during this difficult time.”

Share your thoughts on Finola Hughes, Ian Buchanan and others touching words from the celebration of life in honor of the late Leslie Charleson via the comment section below.

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Lovely words for a lovely lady, and what looks like a fitting celebration of Leslie’s life. I’m interested to see how and when GH deals with her death on the show. Monica deserves an ending as good as the one they gave Jackie Zeman/Bobbie.

Great to see Ian Buchanan looking well and impeccably dressed, as always. I’ll never forgive them for killing off Duke Lavery.

Blame Ron C, all his fault, poor writer couldn’t figure out how to honor legacy!

It is interesting how he brought both AJ and Duke back from the dead only to kill thrm off permanently when pettiness got in the way.

I know Ron wrote the story, but I honestly blame Frank more. He’s the one that made the decision to fire Ian, and get rid of a beloved legacy character. If you’re going to do something like that, it better be a damn good story, and that one certainly was not. It still pisses me off 10 years later.

I wish they would recast the role. I don’t think Leslie would mind her character going on. They could finally let her out of her room. It would be fun to see Tracy put in her place. I can see Monica coming down the steps saying “shut up Tracy”. Of course not just anyone could play her. How about Susan Lucci??

Leslie had an agreement with Frank Valentini that the role would not be recast, nor should it be. Some roles you don’t recast because they were such iconic characters played by an iconic actor. The same way they didn’t recast Bobbie when Jackie Zeman died, they didn’t recast Lila when Anna Lee died, they didn’t recast Steve Hardy when John Beradino died, they didn’t recast Luke with Tony Geary retired, and so on, and so forth. Leslie’s Monica is in that realm of all-time GH chatacters, and no one should or will ever play her again.

But, GH recasted Edward Quartermaine! The original actor was very iconic.

David Lewis (Edward #1) had retired once before and came back to do voice overs as a ghost talking to Lila. He was convinced to come back on camera for a few years. He retired for the final time 15 years after he first appeared.

Leslie has been on the show 47 years. A major difference.

Icon character is the subject at hand… Not the years spent in a role by an acto/actress.

I agree, about the OG Edward Q… he left GH due serious health issues… the show recasted this iconic actor.

Tony Geary as mentioned… retired.

My the point is, it’s not always about an iconic actor/actress whom passes away in real life which determines whether a recast will or will not happen.

OG Edward and TG are examples of that, too.

David Lewis was very iconic as the first Edward Quartermaine, absolutely no question. But he was on the show for 15 years, not 40+ years. That’s the difference in a role that you can recast, and one that you can’t. Or I guess shouldn’t would be a better word.

Absolutely not Theresa Anderson. I love Susan Lucci but she is wrong for that character. Besides, Monica should not be recast. Lesile Charleson put the indelible stamp on that character and should never be replaced. RIP dear Lesile. We love you!!!!!!!!!

Guessing that you’re not a long time soap fan. You don’t recast someone who played the character for 47 years!

And no, Lucci would never consider taking the place of another soap icon. Would anyone accept a different actress as Erica Kane? No. Monica will pass in story by mid year.

She was one of the reasons I watched General Hospital. I am a long time watcher of the show.

They will not recast in honor of her and I respect that sorry she was so ill for so long

Her character should never be recasted. You don’t play a role for over 40 years to be replaced. Someone mentioned they replaced Edward but it was only with David Lewis permission and he had not played that role as long as Lila, Alan, Monica or Tracy has/had. No one would replace Tracy. it simply would never be the same!

Do you not proof read? Who is Lester???? Several times you called Leslie a man. Not nice.

Well, you should have explained that in your article. Bad on you. THAT was your mistake.

General Hospital

GENERAL HOSPITAL: Sonny Tells Dante, “I Don’t Want a Son Like You,” While Michael Tells Brook Lynn to Bide Her Time Till Chase and Willow Have an Affair

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Sonny, Dante, Michael, Brook Lynn General Hospital

On the Thursday, October 1 episode of General Hospital, both Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) and Michael Corinthos (Rory Gibson) had some things to say and what they had to say didn’t go over well with whom they were talking to!

Sonny had a confrontation with his son, Dante (Dominic Zamprogna), while Michael leveled with Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) over Chase (Josh Swickard).

GH is setting up a scenario where everyone is going to make it look like Sonny was responsible for having Sidwell (Carlo Rota) beat up in Pentonville; while viewers already know Ava (Maura West) and Drew (Cameron Mathison) were behind it.

Sonny and Dante

Courtesy/ABC

A VISIT WITH DAD

Now, Dante comes to Sonny’s house. He wants to know straight up from his dad if he ordered the attack at Pentonville. Sonny flatly denies any culpability or responsibility, but Dante refuses to believe him.

Dante informs Sonny he has video footage of Sully and Vito at the prison. Sonny explains to Dante he doesn’t know why Sully beat up both Curtis and Dante. Things escalated when Sonny was deeply hurt that Dante refused to believe him. Dante says he was disappointed that his father didn’t respect him enough to be truthful with him!

Sonny asks Dante to consider that he was being set up. He says all he did was to tell Vito to instruct Sully to keep a watchful eye on Sidwell, not to harm him. No matter what Sonny said, Dante continued hammering him with how he knew deep down, even though he said he left the mob, he had to finish off Sidwell for himself.

Next, Sonny explains everything he has ever done was to provide for and to protect his family. Dante fired back that he doesn’t want to deal anymore with Sonny’s half-baked truths. As the two men argue, Gio (Giovanni Mazza) shows up at Sonny’s front door and overhears Sonny losing his temper and shouting at Dante, “Get out of my house! I don’t want a son like you!”  The scenes featured an excellent performance by Maurice Benard.

Michael and Brook Lynn

Courtesy/ABC

MICHAEL THE MANIPULATOR

While this is going down, outside the Quartermaine boathouse, Brook Lynn opens up to Michael about living at the Q’s with Chase being there, since he only came back due to legal advice from his lawyer, Monet Mitchell (Blythe Howard).

Brook Lynn questioned whether they should get legally separate. Michael insisted that would be a big mistake. When she asks why, Michael tells Brook Lynn to bide her time until Chase and Willow (Katelyn MacMullen) have an affair; then she’d have full custody of Phoebe.

An angered Brook Lynn pushed Michael into the water and accuses him of moving Willow back into the gatehouse with intent on putting Chase and Willow in closer proximity and sacrificing Brook Lynn’s family in the process.  As the two cousins bicker, Chase shows up asking Brook Lynn if she is OK. Michael punctuates their talk with “You know, I’m right.”

CURTIS FIGURES OUT A WAY TO GET OUT OF THE SLAMMER

At GH, Willow visits Curtis (Donnell Turner) in his hospital room. Curtis wants Willow to get him pardoned and keep him out of jail, and in return, he will help her nail Sonny.

Next, Willow tells Dr. Tristan Roberts (Dean Geyer) she wants Curtis held for observation for three more days. He agrees to do so under one condition, that she understands that he may need to call in a favor from a congresswoman.

So, what did you think of how Dante accused his father and refused to believe Sonny’s answers? Is this the end of their father and son relationship for good? Is Michael the most manipulative person of all, except for Willow? Do the two deserve each other? Do you want Chase and Willow to have an affair? And what of Curtis? Does he have many redeeming qualities left? Share your thoughts via the comment section,  but first check out the talk Michael had with Brook Lynn.

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General Hospital

GH Alum Tajh Bellow and Y&R Alum Loren Lott Star in New Tiktok and Microdrama ‘Love Island’ Spoof

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Tajh Bellow and Loren Lott

Two soap opera alums very familiar to fans of General Hospital and The Young and the Restless are paired together in a new short-form digital series from none other than Issa Rae’s production entity HOORAE Digital.

Look for Tajh Bellow (ex-TJ Ashford, GH)) and Loren Lott (ex-Ana Hamilton, Y&R) as part of the cast of  The Compatibility Experiment, premiering on October 14, 2026, exclusively on TikTok and its companion microdrama platform, PineDrama.

In the video teaser, it appears that Bellow and Lott play a couple, Kelvin and Camila, set in a Love Island reality show-esque environment trying to win the one million dollar cash prize, only what could go wrong?

The Compatibility Experiment

Photo: HOORAE

The Compatibility Experiment loglines share that it brings a fast-paced, relationship-focused reality check—much like Love Island with a twist. The show takes a participant’s current relationship, introduces them to a potentially more compatible partner, and forces them to navigate the differences with life-changing money on the line.

The new series is part of a groundbreaking content deal between HOORAE Digital and TikTok to develop premium short-form storytelling. The ensemble cast also features; Ayona, Reggie Luck, JaNa Craig, Tosin Morohunfola, Jessica Jacoby, Georgia Warner, and Nick Cassidy.

General Hospital fans know Tajh Bellow for his performances as TJ Ashford, and who earned two Daytime Emmy nominations along the way during his run. Bellow took over the role in 2018 and last appeared on the ABC daytime drama series in December of 2024.

Loren Lott first appeared as Devon’s (Bryton James) sister Ana Hamilton on The Young and the Restless from 2018 to 2019; making a brief return in 2024. She has continued to perform on the stage and screen with recent credits including: Bel-Air, Cherish the Day, and All American: Homecoming.

Check out the trailer for The Compatibility Experiment below and let us know what you think of its concept and if you are glad to see Tajh and Loren again? Hoping they might return to daytime in their GH and Y&R roles at some point in the future? Weigh-in via the comment section.

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GENERAL HOSPITAL: Ava and Drew Revealed to be Behind Framing Sonny for Sidwell’s Prison Beatdown

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Drew and Ava

If you thought that the person responsible for the Pentonville brawl that saw Sidwell (Carlo Rota) and Curtis (Donnell Turner) taken to General Hospital was Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) or even Sidwell himself, you were dead wrong! On the Wednesday, September 30 episode of GH, it turned out that the culprits were actually Ava (Maura West) and Drew (Cameron Mathison).

In story, Drew apparently bankrolled the attack on Sidwell and framing Sonny. He told Ava their planned worked (she came up with it!) but was horrified when Drew informed her that Curtis got caught in the crosshairs. Ava is visibly upset because of her longtime friendship with Curtis’ daughter, Trina Robinson (Tabyana Ali). Drew tried to make Ava see the bright side. Curtis was witness to it and his presence will cast doubt on Sonny’s claims to that he had gotten out of the mob and gone legit.

Later, Vito shows up at Drew’s. They informed him that his guy on the inside of the slammer made a big mistake by hurting their friend and ordered him to leave town.

Maura West

Courtesy/ABC

BOATHOUSE BRAWL

In other major developments, Danny (Asher Antonyzyn) and Rocco (Finn Carr) have a blow out fight as Danny blames his “brother” for the reason Charlotte was sent off to boarding school.

Rocco told off Danny for Charlotte’s (Bluesy Burke) reckless behavior and he explains he had to protect his sister. He went in on Danny saying that his mother Lulu (Alexa Havins) has been right to send Charlotte to boarding school and far away from Danny.

However, Rocco went a bit too far when he shouted, “And if your mom was alive, she would send you away too!” Next, Danny punched out Rocco, leading to a terrible brawl. An angered Danny yells at Rocco to, “Stay away from me and everyone in my family. And don’t you ever mention my mom again!” Danny storms off.

Rocco

Courtesy/ABC

Now alone outside the boathouse, Rocco flashes back to his first kiss with Scout (Kayden Brenna Tokarksi), hoping that his fight with Danny will not escalate and ruin their budding romance. Meanwhile, a bloodied-mouth Danny heads over to Sonny’s and Jason (Steve Burton) is there at the same time. He then admits that he has a bad fight with Rocco and they are both beaten up.

WILL SCOUT WISE UP?

At the end of the episode, Scout, who had a fight with Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn) over Drew, and who keeps telling everyone how good a man her dad truly is, comes upon a suspicious scene.

Scout hides behind the wall outside Drew’s. She sees her dad, Ava and Vito talking. Next, Scout seems to overhear Vito assuring Drew and Ava that their business dealings are done, and he’ll be leaving Port Charles for good.

So, what did you think of the reveal that Ava and Drew were behind framing Sonny for the prison beatdown of Sidwell (and Curtis)? Do you think Danny and Rocco’s relationship can be repaired, or do you think the teenagers will continue to be at each other’s throats? Finally, do you hope Scout gets a clue and stops thinking her dad walks on air? Weigh-in via the comment section, but first check out how Ava and Drew conspired below.

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Jonathan Bennett joins the cast of GH as Joe Fitzpatrick. Catch the latest promo! Leave a comment.Leave A Comment

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