General Hospital legend Leslie Charleson.
The General Hospital cast and forces behind the scenes are paying tribute to their friend and colleague Leslie Charleson, who passed away on January 12 from a long illness. Charleson, who played Dr. Monica Quartermaine for 45 years, made a strong impact on those who knew her.
Executive Producer Frank Valentini announced Charleson’s passing on GH’s Instagram account. In the heartbreaking message, he talked about her legacy and how her character made a huge mark on the show. “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.”
Nathan Varni, Executive Director, Current Programming, ABC Entertainment Group, remembered a “brilliant actress but more importantly, one of the nicest in the business who always greeted anyone in her orbit with a big smile and open arms. The world will miss you, Leslie. RIP. 💔”
Former GH writer and current Beyond the Gates EP and head writer Michele Val Jean posted about this incredible loss. “And to cap a horrific week… RIP, Leslie 💔.”
Finola Hughes spoke to her friend in her message on Instagram. “Dear Leslie 💕 I’m going to need a minute and I’ll write something about this lovely, funny, clever woman. But right now, dear Leslie rip we love you 💕 🕊️”
In Hughes’s comments, Marc Anthony Samuel (ex-Felix) responded, “Oh no! She was such a sweet lady. I’m glad I got a chance to work with her.” Bonnie Burroughs (ex-Gladys) said, “She was so kind to me the few times I met her. What a beautiful soul 🥺,” and Anthony Montgomery (ex-Andre) wrote, “🙏🏾🕊️.”
Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis) shared her thoughts about her friend on Facebook. “My friend and castmate, Leslie Charleson took flight today. She battled and survived a multitude of health challenges in the last couple of years like a goddamned warrior. This badass was a General Hospital icon, whipper snapper, savvy, talented, gorgeous, grounded, and a horse whispering, world class woman. It was an honor to know her and love her. #Gh“
A heartbroken Rena Sofer (Lois) paid tribute to Leslie Charleson on her IG Story where she said, “I am so fortunate that I had one more scene with Leslie when I came back to @generalhospitalabc. My memories of GH have her fingerprints all over me. I loved her. She will be so greatly be missed.”
On X, Sarah Joy Brown (ex-Carly) shared her thoughts about her former co-star. “Rest in peace Leslie Charleson…grateful to have had the opportunity to learn so much from her while I was starting my run on General Hospital. Watching her work with Stuart Damon, a.k.a. Alan Quartermaine, and John Ingle was a joy for me, especially when I was included in the scenes, but even when I wasn’t. The Q’s always made me laugh. Her timing was legendary. Sending my condolences to her friends, family, fans, and all of her co-workers 🕊️ #lesliecharleson.”
Sean Kanan currently plays Deacon Sharpe on The Bold and the Beautiful. However, he arguably played the most notable version of AJ Quartermaine. He originally played the role of Monica and Alan Quartermaine’s troubled son from 1993 – 1997 and then again from 2012 – 2014. On X, formerly Twitter, he wrote, “I just learned that Leslie Charleson has passed. We played mother and son off and on for years. My deepest condolences to her family. May you rest in peace, Lester. #GeneralHospital #GH #LeslieCharleson #MonicaQuartermaine”
In the comments of GH’s post honoring Leslie Charleson, Cassandra James (Dr. Terry Randolph) said, “My heart is breaking! So sad. 🥺❤️🩹”
Meanwhile, William deVry (ex-Julian) explained, “Very very sad about Leslie’s passing. We’ve kept in touch over the years and she was always so happy to hear from me. Such a lovely woman. I’ve been wanting to text her over the last fews days as Los Angeles is a stressful place to be over the last week. Unfortunately the 2nd day of the fires my phone crashed and I lost my contacts so I couldn’t text her. Finally retrieved her number today only to find out she passed away last night…so so very sorry for all the fans of General Hospital and for the crew who really loved her. She was very grateful to @valentinifrank for keeping her busy over the years. A real loss.”
On that same GH post, Michael Sutton (ex-Stone) simply used emojis to convey his feelings: “❤️❤️❤️🙏🙏🙏.” Risa Dorken (Nurse Amy) wrote, “So very sorry to hear. Leslie was elegant, funny, and kind. She will be deeply missed and forever remembered✨Sending love.”
In the comments of Michele Val Jean’s post, Vanessa Marcil (ex-Brenda) simply responded, “No 😭.”
On Threads, Kathleen Gati (Liesl Obrecht) wrote, “One of the kindest and sweetest colleagues I’ve had the honor to work with. May she rest in peace and know how deeply she was loved and appreciated by all. Deepest condolences to her family, friends, colleagues and fans. #lesliecharleson 💔”
On Threads, The Young and the Restless’ Kate Linder (Esther) wrote, “My heart goes out to the family, friends , and coworkers National anthe (sic) of lesliecharleson_official #ithasbeenanhonor #tohaveknownher reflection”
And in response to Finola Hughes’ Instagram message to Charleson, Y&R’s Tracey Bregman (Lauren) said, “Oh I’m so so sorry honey. Much love to you, the GH family and Leslie’s family and friends ❤️❤️” And Days of Our Lives alum Jen Lilley (ex-Theresa), who has temporarily played Maxie on GH, said, “Oh no. What a gem.”
Local Los Angeles news personality George Pennacchio said about the GH legend on Instagram: “She was my favorite at General Hospital.” Daytime legend Leslie Charleson passed away last night after a long illness. She was 79.
Leslie famously played “Monica Quartermaine” on the series for 47 years! Today, executive producer Frank Valentini said, “Just as Monica was the heart of the Quartermaine family, 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.” When we used to work on the same lot, I ran into Leslie all the time in our commissary. We often shared stories and the show biz news of the day over the salad bar. She was always so lovely. May she R.I.P. 🙏 #generalhospital #gh #lesliecharleson.”
Y&R’s social media account on X honored Charleson: “Our condolences to the @GeneralHospital family on the passing of Leslie Charleson.
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