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GH’s Beloved Susan Brown Passes Away At 86

Photo Credit: JPI Studios

Heartbreaking news to report on Friday.  Susan Brown, who played General Hospital’s Gail Baldwin has passed away at the age of 86.

Page Six reported that Susan died after her battle with Alzheimer’s disease.

Kin Shriner, who played Brown’s on-screen stepson, Scott Baldwin tweeted the news stating: “Sad to say one of my best friends and costars Susan Brown passed away today she played Gail Baldwin my mother R.I.P. Susan I will miss all our laughs.”

Over the last 24 hours many GH stars past and present and behind the scenes creatives have shared their thoughts and condolences for Brown.  Here is just a sampling:

Lynn Herring (Lucy Coe) tweeted: “I am so honored to have worked with Susan, an amazing woman and the only one I knew who could keep you in line ! We will all miss her so!”

Jackie Zeman (Bobbie Spencer) responded: “Kin I am so sorry for your loss. I will miss Susan too. She was so very special, on set and in friendship. I remember all the good times we shared on our lunch breaks at at her amazing dinner parties at her beautiful home. RIP Susan + God Bless. @kinshriner”

Ron Carlivati, (the former head writer of GH, now at DAYS) tweeted: I loved loved loved Gail Baldwin. She was so real and so natural and so self-possessed. Loved her relationship with Monica. RIP Susan Brown. You made a huge impact on my 10 year old self.

Wally Kurth expressed: “I loved Susan Brown. What a laugh she had. What a radiant soul. I wish I had had the opportunity to work with her more. RIP Susan.”

Wendy Riche (former GH EP) tweeted: “RIP Susan Brown We cherish the love and laughter you brought to the General Hospital Family and to

Brown came on to the Port Charles canvas in 1977.  She was last seen in 2004 in the role.

Share your thoughts, condolences, and remembrances of Susan via the comment section below.  But first watch Susan in her final scene as Gail with her longtime scene partner, the late Peter Hansen (Lee), as well as Stuart Damon and Leslie Charleson (Alan and Monica) at Lila’s funeral.   Then watch another moment between bff’s Gail and Monica, were Gail learns Monica has breast cancer.

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I am so very sorry to hear this news. I loved Susan Brown. I remember her very well. She was terrific as the much loved Gail, Lee’s wife and Monica’s mentor.

Thank you Susan Brown for all the wonderful entertainment. May you rest in peace.

Remember her from Bright Promise and Return to Peyton Place,elegant lady.

Ms. Brown personified class and sophistication as Dr Gail Adamson Baldwin. She and Peter Hansen were an amazing couple. GH in the late 1970s and early 1980s was prime soap wonder. I am cheered Ms. Brown is so well remembered.

RIP. So sorry to hear this. I always enjoyed the Gail Brown character, and in particular her relationship with Monica Quartermaine.

R.I.P. Susan Brown. A daily part of my pre-teen/teen years.

Me too,definitely.

Shelley, remember watching as a kid and wondering why three or four people couldn’t share a cafeteria table. LOL. Someone walked in, someone got up. I’d always yell at the tv..just get another of those empty chairs.

LOL!

I do remember that.

Very sad to hear of Susan’s passing. I know they will write that Gail has passed too.

Very attractive lady. I remember her wonderful performances.

She also appeared as Constance Mckensie on Return to Peyton Place…also i think she was on Bright Promise!!!!…such sad news!!!!

A true lady. She will be missed. Bless her soul and her family. R.I.P.

I remember first seeing her on “Bright Promise”. I wonder if GH will mark her passing as they did when the actor who played Lee Baldwin died? Hope so. She was marvelous.

So sad to hear about Susan Browns passing, Loved her as Gail Baldwin.RIP with the angels.

Both Miss Brown—and her character of Gail Adamson Baldwin—-were the absolute epitome of timeless class and effortless elegance!!!! I always relished “their” screentime, especially when she was paired with the dashing Peter Hansen…what a beautiful, dignified and admirable couple they were….they sure don’t make them like that anymore! And more’s the pity for that….I certainly hope this lovely lady receives a GH salute that befits her many years of wonderful contributions to the show…even now, her character is still sorely missed! Rest well, Miss Brown…..Your graceful Gail shall be forever fondly remembered by those of us who enjoyed “her” presence during Port Charles’ finest hours!

Beautifully said.

Thank you, Nancy!!!

Very sad news, she was a classy, sassy lady and a wonderful. May she RIP

I meant she was a wonderful actress, I had a brain freeze lol drank my 7 eleven Slurpee too fast. Cream soda lol

hahahah; too funny!

rest in peace!
Love You, Susan

I don’t watch GH but I read many mainstream news and entertainment websites reporting her passing. That is very nice to see.

Indeed it is, Blake! The sad news of Miss Brown’s death was even widely reported in the British press, which I thought was quite a tribute to her popularity and success! I guess it just goes to show that at one time, GH was a genuine global hit with its classic stars having great name recognition far beyond the US shores.

As someone who watched Susan Brown’s entire GH tenure, I feel compelled to pay my respects… She was a great actress, to be sure, and she had great chemistry with the late Peter Hansen, Leslie Charleson, Kin Shriner, and others in her role as Gail.

BTW, in the highlighted scene, in which we last saw Lee and Gail, Leslie Charleson looked radiant, perhaps her best look ever, even besting her early Pearl Drops Toothpaste commercial! (Check it out on youtube.)

Gail was a reliable character with a deep moral center. Had Ms. Brown’s talents been used to better effect, she could easily have filled the role of matriarch. Still, Gail was such a comforting presence, a wise and caring persona. We need more of that on soaps — and in real life.

Thank you, Ms. Brown, and rest in peace…

James…well said, Brother!!!!! As far as I’m concerned, Susan Brown (and Gail) should have had A LOT MORE storyline when she was on GH!!!!! She (and Gail) will be truly missed.

Amen.

Have a good one, Brother.

Terrible news! What a voice, what poise! I remember when she first appeared on the scene as Monica’s mentor (then played by Patsy Rahn). I don’t know if anyone else watched GH during this period… huge cast exoduses (Augusta, Kira, Joel, Henry Pinkham, Lucille Weeks, Jane Dawson, Jim Hobart, etc.) and then a period of in-and-out characters (Caroline & Bobby Chandler, Pat Lambert, The Vinings, Jessie’s niece, Kate). Once the show settled down a bit, it was a joy to follow. The addition of Susan Brown and Gerald Gordon was icing on the cake. Susan’s Gail stood out amongst a crush of new characters that came on during this period. What a loss to daytime!

Hello Rickie: I was watching during those years, too. The “huge exodus” you mentioned saddened me. The “in-and-out” characters were somewhat unsettling, although I thoroughly enjoyed the interactions Diana Taylor (Valerie Starrett) and Peter Taylor (Craig Huebing) had with Pat Lambert! So glad you mentioned Gerald Gordon as Dr. Marc Dante, another GH character I enjoyed. And your honoring of Susan Brown’s “voice” and “poise” is apropos.

Nice tributes, one and all, and the memories on some of you, wow! I’m in awe! Whether it was McCain or Aretha, one’s passing does tend to bring out the best in us, as we give that person their due. Let’s hope that Susan Brown and her family knew this outpouring of affection and respect existed long before her passing, as she clearly enriched so many lives along the way. Where I felt that GH came up a little short in Peter Hansen’s tribute, the reprise of Carly Schroeder notwithstanding (more, please!), I hope they really pull out all the stops for Gail’s send-off. The soap format is tailor-made for being able to reminisce and pay homage to those that have given this genre so much—the material has already written itself via archived clips and will no doubt write itself once again through the genuine emotion and fondness the writers and cast have for their fallen colleague. If only we could all go out with a highlight reel! GH, you have a chance to make that so for Susan Brown, please do her justice.

Great actress, beautiful woman

Elegant, beautiful Susan Brown is so iconic to me. I remember her not so much from GENERAL HOSPITAL, but from a short lived soap that would follow GENERAL HOSPITAL called THE YOUNG MARRIEDS in the mid 1960s. Susan played sophisticated Ann Reynolds, a woman unhappily married to a difficult blind man, Walter. I feel like they lived in an art studio and had a WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOLF kind of relationship. After the soap was cancelled DARK SHADOWS took it’s place where I transferred my affections to a young actress named Alexandra Moltke who played Victoria Winters. Both these women had the most luxurious brunette hair, but it was only Susan who was able to capitalize on hers with her memorable Wanda the Witch commercials, promoting hair spray. Her beautiful, distinctive speaking voice will be missed.

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Kim Kardashian, Emma Roberts and Marlene King Land ‘Calabasas’, a Soap in the Vein of the ‘O.C’ and ‘Beverly Hills 90210’, at Netflix

There has been lot of soapy projects coming to life and in the works of late, and now comes word that Kim Kardashian is executive producing a new series in development for Netflix called Calabasas.

After a bidding war last week, it looks like Netflix cemented the development deal from Kim, and her producing partners American Horror Story co-star Emma Roberts (pictured below) and Pretty Little Liars creators Marlene King and Alexandra Milchan.

The concept of Calabasas is based on the book If You Lived Here You’d Be Famous By Now by Via Bleidner.  King set to write the adaptation and will serve as the series showrunner.

Photo: JPI

According to Deadline, Calabasas is said to be in the vein of primetime young teen and young adult soaps the O.C. and Beverly Hills 90210. The story follows “Via, a 16-year-old sheltered Midwestern Catholic school girl whose world is turned upside down when her family moves and she’s forced to transfer to the fast world of Calabasas High where nothing is as it appears and where everyone is trying to be someone else. It’s a place where dreams come true … but not without complications and sometimes unforeseen consequences.”

Photo: Hulu

As fans of the Kardashians know, Kim and her family made the town of Calabasas a household and worldwide name. Kim being attached to this project helped make its sale. This marks her fourth project to sell since the writers and actors strikes concluded at the end of last summer.

So, would you be interested to see a teen soap called ‘Calabasas’ on Netflix from Kim and company? Comment below.

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The Young and the Restless and General Hospital Actress and Writer, Meg Bennett, Passes Away at 75

Meg Bennett, who had played Julia Newman and later became a writer for the top-rated daytime drama, The Young and the Restless has died at the age of 75.  The news comes from her family who shared that she lost her battle to cancer back on April 11th.

Daytime fans remember fondly, Meg’s portrayal of Victor’s (Eric Braeden)first wife. Bennett joined the show in 1980, after her first soap stint for two years in the role of Liza Walton on Search for Tomorrow.

Impressed by her story notes, the late Bill Bell, then head writer of Y&R, had Meg doing double duty acting and writing on the show from 1983-1987. When he decided to write off the character of Julia, he also wanted Meg to stick around as a writer.  Not only did this begin a whole other daytime career for Bennett, but she was not done playing Julia either. Throughout the decades, Julia would still come back to Genoa City for a visit. Most recently, Y&R fans saw Julia in 2018, and again in 2020.

Photo: JPI

Bennett also appeared on Santa Barbara and was a writer on that show as well from 1991-1993. She played the role of Megan Richardson. It was next that Meg had her longest writing stint coming to ABC’s General Hospital. Meg wrote for GH from 1993-2011.

In 1995, Bennett won her first Daytime Emmy for writing and her personal life changed after falling in love with nine-time Daytime Emmy winner, former GH head writer, Bob Guza Jr. In addition, GH also utilized Bennett for her acting skill when she was cast as the villainess Allegra Montenegro.  Meg and Bog Guza were officially married in 2004 and purchased a home once owned by Boris Karloff and Gregory Peck.

Photo: JPI

Additionally, Meg wrote for The Bold and the Beautiful 1987-1989 and later served as a executive story consultant to Brad Bell from 2002-2004.  She also wrote for Sunset Beach, Generations and GH: Night Shift throughout her writing career. She went on to win five WGA Awards for GH and Santa Barbara.

Meg is survived by her husband of 19 years, Robert Guza Jr., two stepdaughters, four grandchildren, a brother and a sister.

Share your remembrances and condolences for Meg Bennett via the comment section below.

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Steve Kent Reportedly OUT as Sony Pictures Television VP in Charge of DAYS and Y&R

On Friday, reports surfaced that Steve Kent, Senior Executive Vice President of Programming at Sony Pictures Television, is no longer with the company and overseeing the Sony soap operas, Days of our Lives and The Young and the Restless.

According to Soap Opera Digest, a set side source reported that Kent’s last day was last Friday, April 12th, which was one day after what would have been his final appearance in his Sony VP role at the Days of our Lives 15,000th episode on set celebration.

During that ceremony, Kent gave a brief speech giving kudos to DAYS for its incredible milestone. Days is a co-production of Sony Pictures Television and Corday Productions, while Y&R is produced by Bell Dramatic Serial Company in association with Sony Pictures Television.

Photo: JPI

Kent started his soap opera career as a producer for CBS’ defunct Capitol and then as the supervising producer of NBC’s Santa Barbara from1984 to 1993.

Photo: JPI

At Sony, before his role overseeing the soaps, Kent was Senior Executive Vice President of International Productions for Sony Pictures Television International department.

If reports are true, the question becomes who has taken over his position, and would oversee DAYS and Y&R from the Sony side? Share your thoughts on this developing story via the comment section below.

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