General Hospital’s cast and crew are helping raise money to help educate the sons of the show’s late head of makeup Donna Messina.
The ABC soap often acts as a home for those who work on it. Many of the actors have stuck around for decades, while others have casually come and gone, sometimes returning for a short stint here and there.
Donna Messina was family to everyone on the General Hospital set. Cast and crew alike had only kind words to say about the head of the makeup department. She and her makeup team were nominated for 12 Daytime Emmys and they took home the big prize on six occasions. To say Donna took her job seriously would be an understatement.
What happened to Donna Messina?
Back in December, it was announced that Donna Messina had passed away. She was just 59 and left behind three sons who she loved immensely. The cause of her death and the details surrounding it have not been made public. Instead, her family and co-workers have been sharing their favorite memories of her and tributes to her legacy at General Hospital.
Donna Messina joined the General Hospital crew as a makeup artist back in 1982. Since then, she had worked her way up to run the department, and with that garnered a lot of positive attention and awards. Many of the General Hospital cast members have praised her work ethic and friendly demeanor.
General Hospital stars pull together for Donna’s boys
Education was a huge deal to Donna Messina and she wanted to provide her three boys with a good one. The cast and crew of General Hospital came together along with a few others to set up a Go Fund Me account in order to make sure their educations could be obtained.
Jane Elliot (formerly Tracy Quartermaine), Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis Davis), Catherine Davison, and Daryl Messina teamed up to build the page and fulfill one of the biggest wishes Donna Messina had for her sons.
Several of the General Hospital cast members have donated to the cause including Billy Miller (Drew Cain), Kelly Monaco (Sam Morgan), Leslie Charleson (Monica Quartermaine), Bradford Anderson (Spinelli), Elizabeth Hendrickson (Margaux), and Tamara Braun (formerly Carly Corinthos and currently Kim Nero). At the time of writing, there had been 100 donors, with $12,796 raised of the $50,000 goal.
This is just one act of kindness the General Hospital cast and crew has done to honor someone who has been a part of the family. Donna Messina will be missed by them and the rest of the people whose lives she has impacted.
General Hospital airs weekdays on ABC.