General Hospital Star Anthony Geary’s Final Years Before Death at 78

After retiring from his acting career, Anthony Geary lived out his final years overseas.

The General Hospital alum died at age 78 on December 14, 2025, three days after undergoing surgery. Geary’s husband, Claudio Gama, confirmed the news of his death.

“It was a shock for me and our families and our friends,” Gama shared in a statement to TV Insider at the time. “For more than 30 years, Tony has been my friend, my companion, my husband.”

While Geary nabbed several roles throughout his career, the actor was best known for playing Luke Spencer on General Hospital. He appeared on the ABC soap opera for 40 years on and off until his death. (He won eight Daytime Emmy Awards for the role.)

After retiring from Luke (and acting) in 2015, Geary relocated to Amsterdam. During an interview at the time, the actor said he had been thinking about retiring for nearly a decade.

“Ever since I found the place where my heart is, which is the city of Amsterdam,” he explained. “I never felt as comfortable or as authentic as I have felt there.”

After stepping back from the public eye, fans received updates on Geary’s life through Gama, who shared daily Instagram posts of their life together.

Keep scrolling to look back at Geary’s final years:

Relocating to Amsterdam

Geary moved to Amsterdam following his General Hospital retirement.

“One of the reasons I became an actor is that I felt not at home in my skin and not really comfortable with the people I grew up around, and it became a sanctuary for me to live in my imagination,” he shared in the same 2015 interview. “In Amsterdam, I find the whole city is just a big playground for my imagination and I feel very comfortable there.”

That ‘General Hospital’ Cameo

After his official departure from the show, Geary did return in 2017 for one final cameo.

Tying the Knot

Gama shared a photo of his and Geary’s courthouse wedding in February 2019, revealing that they had officially tied the knot.

“#amsterdam #mywedding #tonygeary,” he captioned the post, which featured Geary in a suit and pink tie.

Looking Back on His Life

Geary reflected on playing Luke during a 2023 interview with Soap Opera Digest — his final interview with the publication.

“Not being on the show after having been on it for 30-plus years, practically half my life, I have a feeling of satisfaction because I did it, I showed up, I did my work, I won some trophies, I enjoyed the people I worked with for the most part and I feel I got out in time,” he said at the time. “I look back on it and it’s great and it gave me this wonderful life I have now, so I’m not going to complain.”

He also gushed over how he feels fulfilled following his retirement.

“I live in the city [Amsterdam] that I’ve always wanted to live in my whole life and I have somebody who loves me and I have a life now, that I didn’t have before,” Geary said. “No matter how many fan letters or Emmys or how many pages of dialogue to learn. I didn’t have what I have now. So, everything happened at the right time, I guess.”

Final Acting Appearance

TV Insider reported that Geary’s final acting role was filmed one day before he underwent surgery. He performed a scene alongside former General Hospital costar Anders Hove.