Anthony Geary says goodbye to 'General Hospital'

LOS ANGELES, June 24 (UPI) -- Anthony Geary couldn't hold back tears as current and former show members gathered to bid him farewell on his last day on the set of General Hospital.

After his final taping, over 200 cast and crew members came together on the Los Angeles set's soundstage to "pay tribute" to the actor, Entertainment Weekly reported.

Kin Shriner, Finola Hughes, Lynn Herring and Genie Francis were among the group saluting the 68-year-old actor, who reprised the dynamic role of Luke Spencer on the ABC soap opera for over 35 years.

"Thank you for putting up with me as a petulant teenager," said Francis (Laura), about their famous onscreen relationship. "Thank you for the best acting partnership I've ever known."

The eight-time Emmy winner first joined the ABC soap in 1978, and cried as he recalled memorable scenes from his character's troubled past with cast mates.

"I'm excited to raise the curtain on act 3, to reinvent myself in my new home to pursue whatever opportunity there may be. It's an exciting prospect to me," Geary told the magazine. "They've done a wonderful job of wrapping up the character. So this seems like the ideal time to go."

Though his farewell was bittersweet, Geary was optimistic about GH's future.

"It's enjoying a bit of a resurgence," he said. "It was scary there for two or three years when every thing was being cancelled. The network thought that talk shows should take over because people weren't going to be interested in soaps. But there has been a resurgence and I think that's hopeful sign. I don't believe it's the end of the medium. Serialization is a great way to tell stories."

Geary's final episode will air later this summer.