Leslie Charleson, finest identified for her long-time function on General Hospital, has died. She was 79.

The actress's demise was confirmed to Leisure Weekly by a consultant for Common Hospital. The sequence' officialInstagram shared a smiling image of Charleson in a Jan. 12 publish accompanied by phrases from govt producer Frank Valenti.

"It’s with a heavy coronary heart that I announce the passing of my expensive good friend and colleague, Leslie Charleson," Valenti started. "Her enduring legacy has spanned practically 50 years on Common Hospital alone and, simply as Monica was the guts of the Quartermaines, Leslie was a beloved matriarch of the whole forged and crew."

Valenti continued, "I’ll miss our day by day chats, her fast wit and unbelievable presence on set. On behalf of everybody at Common Hospital, my heartfelt sympathy goes out to her family members throughout this troublesome time."

Charleson was first forged as Monica Quartermaine on Common Hospital in 1977. She was solely 32 on the time however was already a veteran of daytime tv, with stints on As The World Turns, The Wild Wild West, and the short-lived soaps Love Is a Many Splendored Factor and A Flame within the Wind. She remained on the forged of the ABC mainstay till December 2023, making her the longest-tenured actor on the sequence.

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She was born in Kansas Metropolis, Mo., in 1945, sister to the actress Kate Charleson, identified for her function in Phrases of Endearment. Leslie Charleson mirrored in a 2020 interview that after Love Is a Many Splendored Factor, she "by no means meant to work on one other cleaning soap opera." Tom Donovan, a producer on each soaps (he would proceed to provide Common Hospital via 2006) satisfied her to affix the cleaning soap in 1977. "I might by no means have envisioned the affect that this job would have on my life," she stated.

Monica Quartermaine is an integral member of the core forged of Common Hospital and an influential energy participant in Port Charles' affairs. The matriarch of the illustrious Quartermaine household, Monica owns the coveted Quartermaine Mansion and is the previous chief of employees and most up-to-date board chairman of Common Hospital.

The character has survived explosions, homicide makes an attempt, alcoholism, a automotive accident, a number of exposures to lethal toxins, stalking, a hostage disaster, and extra. She additionally stirred up her justifiable share of scandal, committing adultery together with her nephew Ned (Wally Kurth), strangling her husband Alan (Stuart Damon), and drugging Pierce Dorman (Tuc Watkins). She has additionally slapped half of the ladies of Port Charles.

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Monica's breast most cancers arc from 1994-2000 stays one of the harrowing and impactful sagas in latest Common Hospital historical past.

"We had all ladies — ladies writers, a girl producer — they usually had all been affected by breast most cancers, together with me. My mom had it," Charleson instructed costar Maurice Benard in a 2022 interview. "I went to Wellness Hospitals, simply to see what it was like, as a result of we wished to be sincere. A lot of the cleaning soap had been fantasy time, however this we took particular effort and concentrated effort to ensure it was completed correctly."

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Charleson was nominated for 4 Daytime Emmys for Excellent Lead Actress in a Drama Sequence, in 1980, 1982, 1983, and 1995.

Outdoors of Common Hospital, Charleson additionally appeared on Dharma & Greg, Analysis: Homicide, and in a 2004 episode of Friends, the place she competed towards Joey (Matt LeBlanc) on a recreation present. In 1993, she appeared within the made-for-TV film Girl on the Ledge, costarring fellow cleaning soap stars Deidre Corridor (Days of Our Lives) and Colleen Zenk (Because the World Turns).

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