General Hospital has been dealt another devastating blow by losing another legend.
Leslie Charleson died on Sunday, January 12, 2025, at 79.
She played the incomparable Monica Quartermaine since 1977, with a General Hospital career spanning over four decades.
Her appearances have been sporadic in recent years as she has dealt with some health issues.
According to Variety, Leslie was hospitalized last week after another fall. It wasn’t her first, and in recent years, she had suffered mobility issues.
Unfortunately, this time, she didn’t recover.
Leslie Charleson dies at 79
News of Leslie Charleson’s passing began to spread after General Hospital executive producer Frank Valentini revealed the news on social media.
He sent a heartfelt message: “It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of my dear friend and colleague, Leslie Charleson. Her enduring legacy has spanned nearly 50 years on General Hospital alone and, just as Monica was the heart of the Quartermaines, 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. – Frank Valentini”
Leslie Charleson’s legacy as Monica Quartermaine
If you ask anyone about the matriarch of General Hospital, you would be hard-pressed to find someone who wouldn’t mention Monica Quartermaine.
Leslie Charleson and her career at the ABC soap were dreams come true. She persevered through everything, including being married to Alan Quartermaine (Stuart Damon) and losing several of her children along the way.
Viewers could count on her presence at the hospital as she ran things with an iron fist. She loved her children, but her relationship with Michael (Chad Duell) was special. Monica and Jason (Steve Burton) could reconcile because she met him where he was.
The ABC soap has mentioned Monica quite a bit over the last few months, having her upstairs seemingly recovering from something. Perhaps they knew her passing was inevitable and left a way for it to come about naturally so that a memorial could be done.
We suspect the show will pay tribute to Leslie, as she was such a big part of its success over the years. She was the boss of the Quartermaine mansion and reminded everyone that it was her house because Alan left it to her.
As news spreads, we expect her co-stars to share tributes to her as they mourn the loss of their friend and colleague.
General Hospital airs weekdays on ABC.