Leslie Charleson has died on the age of 79.

The actress was finest generally known as Monica Quartermaine on the cleaning soap opera General Hospital, a task she started enjoying in 1977, making her the solid member who was on the present the longest. She was a four-time Daytime Emmy nominee.

General Hospital’s govt producer Frank Valentini introduced Charleson’s demise on the present’s official Instagram web page on Sunday, Jan. 12. “It is with a heavy coronary heart that I announce the passing of my pricey good friend and colleague, Leslie Charleson,” he started.

“Her enduring legacy has spanned almost 50 years on General Hospital alone and, simply as Monica was the guts of the Quartermaines, Leslie was a beloved matriarch of the whole solid and crew,” he continued. “I’ll miss our each day chats, her fast wit and unimaginable presence on set.”

Valentini concluded his message: “On behalf of everybody at General Hospital, my heartfelt sympathy goes out to her family members throughout this troublesome time.”

Charleson was born in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1945. Her sister Kate, who died in 1996, additionally grew to become an actress. Charleson acted as a toddler and in highschool, and studied theater at Bennett College in upstate New York. 

In 1964, she was solid on the NBC cleaning soap A Flame within the Wind. Then she joined ​​As the World Turns in 1966, earlier than transferring to CBS’s Love Is a Many Splendored Thing. She stayed with that collection till 1970.

After leaving the present, she made visitor appearances on collection like Marcus Welby, M.D., Happy Days (as a love curiosity for Ron Howard’s Richie Cunningham), The Streets of San Francisco, Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law, McMillan & Wife and The Rockford Files. She additionally starred within the 1971 made-for-TV horror movie Revenge!.

In 1977, she was introduced onto General Hospital because the collection’ rankings had been floundering, changing Patsy Rahn, who had debuted as Monica Bard Webber (later Monica Quartermaine) a yr earlier. Monica, a health care provider, stuffed the bad-girl archetype on the present, and Charleson cherished enjoying her. 

“I only signed on for two years, and I don’t know what happened,” she informed Digital Journal in 2019. “Back then, there weren’t a lot of good female roles that had that. It was an amazing time, and it was strong material to act.”

“She’s interesting, dedicated in all areas,” Charleson informed Soap Opera Digest in 1981. “Her dedication in her social life can be a bit over the top, but it’s true. When she loves, it’s passionately. She puts her effort into it, sometimes at the expense of others.” 

And on the time, the actress was completely satisfied together with her character’s progress. “I’m delighted with the progress she’s made, her sense of humor,” she said. “As an actress I enjoy Monica because she can wear any hat, go any place, do any thing.” Of her character’s repute, she added, “When you’re all good, you’re boring. And nobody is just ‘good,’ unless she’s a saint.”

Monica’s most impactful relationship on the present was with fellow physician Alan Quartermaine, performed by the late Stuart Damon. The Quartermaine household joined the present the identical yr Charleson did, finally giving Monica deep ties to the present.

But Monica’s relationship with Alan was usually risky. In the ’80s, she usually slapped Alan within the face. “We’d do real slaps,” Charleson informed PEOPLE in 2023 for the present’s sixtieth anniversary. “Stuart was always afraid I’d take his eye out. I would fake a slap in dress rehearsal, but when we went to tape it, all that went out the window!” 

Monica was usually in the midst of love triangles and even by accident had an affair together with her nephew. But not all of Monica’s storylines emphasised over-the-top drama. In 1994, she was identified with breast most cancers. 

“Monica’s battle with breast cancer was just so incredibly fulfilling,” Charleson informed FBJ Fit in 2020. “Dealing with a real-life issue that afflicts so many women and their families and being able to show the struggle and issues they face, was something I am so proud of. It was exhausting and incredibly difficult work, but the response to the storyline was truly humbling.”

Charleson began appearing on General Hospital on a recurring standing starting in 2010 and made much less frequent appearances within the final years of her life. 

Once she joined the GH solid, Charleson not often made TV appearances exterior it. But she starred within the 1993 TV film Woman on the Ledge and made visitor appearances on Diagnosis: Murder and Dharma & Greg. She performed herself in a 2004 episode of Friends, the place she confronted Joey (who was additionally a cleaning soap star) on a sport present. 

Charleson was married as soon as, to Bill Demms, from 1988 to 1991. 

Looking again at her GH tenure, she informed Soap Opera Digest in 2001, “I actually do love this job. Look at it this manner — what higher job are you able to do than rise up within the morning, roll away from bed, toss stuff on after which have somebody maintain the way you look and the way you gown and what you say? How way more grateful may you presumably be? Not unhealthy, not unhealthy in any respect.”