The character with the longest tenure on “General Hospital,” Dr. Monica Quartermaine, played by Leslie Charleson, passed away. Her age was 79.

According to ABC News, which airs the enduring soap drama, Charleson passed away due to complications following a protracted illness. Executive producer Frank Valentini of “General Hospital” made the announcement of the star’s passing.

Valentini said on X and the “General Hospital” Instagram account, “I regret to inform you of the passing of my dear friend and colleague, Leslie Charleson.” Leslie was a cherished matriarch of the whole cast and staff, and her legacy has endured for almost 50 years on “General Hospital” alone. Monica was the Quartermaines’ heart. Her sharp wit, amazing presence on set, and our daily conversations will be missed. On behalf of the whole staff at “General Hospital,” please accept my sincere condolences for her family at this trying time.

Variety said that Charleson had fallen multiple times in recent years, impairing her mobility and necessitating the use of a walker, however the reason of her death was not disclosed. According to Variety, she was admitted to the hospital following one of these falls last week.

Having joined “General Hospital” in 1977, Charleson had played Monica Quartermaine. According to IMDB, she made appearances in 2,079 episodes through 2023. She made fewer appearances on the soap opera after being demoted to “recurring” status in 2010 due to fan protests, but she remained a regular until her final appearance in December 2023.

According to Soap Opera Digest, Charleson was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on February 22, 1945, and developed an early passion for acting. At the age of 19, she made her debut in the soap opera “A Flame in the Wind” in 1964. She next played Alice Whipple on “As The World Turns” and then performed on CBS’s “Love Is a Many Splendored Thing” for three years, from 1967 to 1970.

Charleson later starred in Oscar-winning director Mike Nichols’ 1973 film “The Day of the Dolphin.” She then gave Broadway a try, starring alongside Tony Curtis and William Devane in “One Night Stand,” but after a brief run, it closed, so she moved to Hollywood.

Charleson appeared as a guest star on over 20 well-known television programs throughout the course of the following few years, such as “The Rockford Files,” “The Streets of San Francisco,” “Marcus Welby, M.D.,” “Mannix,” “Ironside,” “Adam-12,” and “Emergency!” According to Variety, actor-director Ron Howard (playing Richie Cunningham) received his first on-screen kiss with Charleson’s divorced Dorothy Kimber in “Happy Days.”

She was cast as Monica Quartermaine, a part she would portray for the following forty-five years or more, when the soap operas came calling again. Charleson received four nominations for the Daytime Emmy for best lead actress while guiding her most well-known character through marriages, children, breast cancer, and a variety of other fictional significant life events.

She later had appearances on “Dharma & Greg” in 2001 and “Friends” in 2004.