According to Deadline, the eight-time Daytime Emmy winner of General Hospital, Anthony Geary, recently passed on last Sunday in the Netherlands following an operation a few days earlier.

Deadline noted that his death was reported by his husband, Claudio Gama, to TV Insider. “It was a shock for me and our families and our friends. For more than 30 years, Tony has been my friend, my companion, my husband.”

According to Deadline, Geary joined the cast of General Hospital in 1978, portraying the character Luke. Luke was known as one of the industry’s most controversial anti-heroes. Actress Genie Francis (The Young and the Restless, Pretty the Series) joined the cast as Laura Webber, and the two would soon be playing opposite each other in a storyline that would be one of the most influential in 1970s soap opera history. In the storyline, Luke raped Laura, which was a sign that Geary would not be returning. Instead, Luke and Laura became so popular among the fans that the couple became a long-running storyline of the show.

According to Deadline, Geary was born on May 29, 1947, in Coalville, Utah, and was raised in a Mormon household. His “big break” came in college, where he was cut in the touring production of The Subject Was Roses. In the 1960s, Geary moved west to Los Angeles, where he landed roles on popular television shows such as Barnaby Jones, The Partridge Family, and The Mod Squad. At that point, his most well-known role was in All In The Family, where he portrayed a friend of Rob Reiner’s (The Bear, Family Squares), Michael Stivic, in 1971.

Deadline also reported that the actor was a multi-winner at the Daytime Emmy Awards, earning accolades for his performance on General Hospital in 1982, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2012, and 2015. Geary maintained a steady acting career in the 70s through the 2000s. In 2015, he retired from acting, and he and his husband moved to Geary’s home in Amsterdam.