Behind The Scenes At General Hospital For Mike’s Memorial

There wasn’t a dry eye onscreen or at home on Thursday when General Hospital aired Mike Corbin’s poignant memorial.

General Hosptial Bids Farewell

The character had been a part of Port Charles since the 1990s, first played by Ron Hale, and then by Max Gail during the last two years as Mike was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and slowly slipped away both mentally and physically.

Both Gail and Maurice Benard as Sonny won Daytime Emmys for this poignant story that came to its close this week as Mike’s friends and loved ones gathered to say their final goodbyes.

Even Mike’s friendship with Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst) was remembered as the character was always there to give her younger self advice when she needed it. We also got to see Mike’s newest friends say goodbye, including Stella (Vernee Watson) and long-lost cousin, Brando Corbin.

Of course, Mike did make a spiritual appearance to Sonny by the end of the episode and we got to watch Gail’s last scene as Mike exited the church with a smile and walked into the light, telling Sonny he always loved him. (And then, Sonny’s oldest son, Dante, made his first appearance in PC in well over a year.)

The soap made a point of letting us know that Mike would be buried alongside his grandson Morgan (Bryan Craig), who was killed in a car bomb explosion in 2016.

Both General Hosptial and Benard used social media to take us behind the scenes as the soap taped Mike’s final goodbye. Take a look at some of the pics below, including one Benard posted of a snap someone took before he and Gail taped their final, heartbreaking scene. General Hospital (GH) airs weekdays on ABC. Check your local listings for airtimes.