Legendary Soap Actor Dies at 78, Cause of Death Revealed

Actor Anthony Geary, who rose to prominence in the 1970s and 80s playing Luke Spencer on General Hospital, has died, his family confirmed to TV Insider.

Geary was 78. The Utah-born performer passed away Sunday in the Netherlands, where he had lived for several years. A preliminary cause of death has been revealed.

What was Anthony Geary's cause of death?

Per TV Insider, Geary died from complications related to a scheduled operation three days earlier. No further details on the surgery have been released.

 “It was a shock for me and our families and our friends," Geary’s husband, Claudio Gama, said in a statement, via PEOPLE. "For more than 30 years, Tony has been my friend, my companion, my husband.”

Fans pay tribute

Social media has exploded with messages remembering Geary and his impactful career.

"My heart was already breaking about the Rob Reiner news.. but now..." one fan wrote.

"Godspeed Anthony Geary. Kids today will have no idea how big the Luke and Laura storyline was in our Zeitgeist. And Members Only Jackets. Just ask your mom," said publicist Danny Deraney.

"Wow ... this hit me right in my childhood! RIP Anthony Geary," a third person added.

"Absolute legend. RIP The greatest day in my small hometown's history was when Luke and Laura shot a scene in our town," said NFL writer Matthew Coller.

"Loved the show in the 80's, the classic era! RIP Luke Spencer," another fan chimed in.

Remembering a noteworthy performer

Born Tony Dean Geary on May 29, 1947, Geary made his acting debut in a 1970 episode of Room 222. From there, he logged guest appearances in several major shows of that era, including All in the Family, Bright Promise, Johnny Got His Gun, The Partridge Family, Mannix, Marcus Welby, M.D., The Streets of San Francisco and Barnaby Jones.

Geary got his major break when he was cast on General Hospital in 1978. He portrayed Luke Spencer from 1978-84 and again from 1993 until his departure in 2015. Geary won eight Daytime Emmys for his role as Spencer.

The romance between Geary's character and Laura Webber, played by Genie Francis, became a central storyline, with their wedding episode remaining the most-watched hour in soap opera history more than four decades later.

Geary also appeared in other programs, such as Murder, She Wrote, Roseanne, Burke's Law and Port Charles, as well as numerous movies, before retiring from acting in 2015.