Luke and Laura UnRevised Message Board: Re: My thoughts about Tony's passing

Dear Yasmeen, I feel your disappointment and grief. I too held on to the hope that we would get get at least a few scenes between them to give a loving conclusion to the story that meant so much to those of us who still believe in romantic love. Sadly, that will not be. We will have to take solace in the wonderful recordings available to us on Youtube and video and gradually let it go.

I honestly feel that these characters and stories meant more to us than they did to Tony and Genie. To them, it was work, perhaps a stepping stone to other things they envisioned for their careers. They could let it go more easily than we could...the people who fell in love with the characters. It helps me to handle the loss of hope to know that at a least Genie is remembering with fondness the experience she had working with Tony and that he was at peace with himself in Amsterdam with a spouse that he loved. Their personal real lives were certainly not the same as the fantasy LnL had, but they both seemed happy with the lives GH provided for them.

As I have aged (i'm 80 now), I have seen so much sadness and loss around me. I have come to realize that you have to hold on to the happy memories of people and moments you shared with them. The joy that I had watching GH in those years remains very special in my heart. I take comfort that Tony did not have to suffer a long decline. His death was unexpected. It's a blessing to go in that way.

I often think about the toll that LnL took on these two actors. They made personal sacrifices in their own lives to sustain characters and a story that the audience wanted to see. For Genie, it was the education she never got to have, and the normal youth that her peers experienced. For Tony, it was the loss of privacy and the ability to be who he wanted to be professionally and personally, That situation could not continue indefinitely. So, Yasmeen, take heart. Their work is immortal. God bless them for it!

Previous Message

Hi Everyone! I wanted to take the time to reach out to see how everyone is doing. I can only imagine how difficult the last few days have been – I know it’s been very hard on me. I wanted to write down some of the things I’ve been feeling since Tony’s passing, hoping it would make me feel better. I’m hoping someone here has any advice for me for my grief.

I am very surprised how hard I am feeling about Tony’s passing. To be honest I haven’t been able to stop crying. I even had to leave work early on Monday & didn’t go in today.

I started watching GH in 2006. I saw Tony & Julie Berman doing a scene during her abortion storyline. I was amazed at these two. I didn’t know anything about their characters or the show, I just saw them acting & I was hooked. I continued to watch after I saw promos of Genie’s 2006 return / L&L’s 25th anniversary & continued to watch. It was an amazing experience watching Tony & Genie together (for me it was the first time). Since then I did a deep-dive of L&L, Tony & Genie, the Spencer Family, & General Hospital over all. I started buying GH edits on DVD, soap opera magazine (both past & present), & even found this amazing message board & a ton of fanfiction. I became a superfan in a very short time. I remember how happy I was when Genie won her Emmy in 2007, as well as Tony’s multiple wins. I remember visiting this message board everyday for years about various topics. I shared everyone’s happiness when Tony & Genie (& Julie) won their Emmys, excited about Genie’s various returns, & shared your frustration with the show’s treatment toward Genie & Tony not wanting to be part of L&L anymore.

Tony & Genie / L&L, as well as GH as a whole became an escape for me. My home life was very chaotic for several years. It was hell & I desperately needed an escape from my reality. I clung to them for survival & in turn these wonderful actors provided me with some happiness during the dark years of my life.

Never did I imagine being this emotional when Tony passed. I mean I’m crying like L&L did when they thought Lucky “died”. And I realized that GH will never be the same again after Tony’s passing. Now that Tony is gone, so is Luke Spencer officially. I always held the smallest of hope that as long as Tony is in this world, maybe he might want to do a short visit. But that hope is gone now. And I also realized that its hard to live in a world where Tony’s is no longer in it. Watching GH now, it just hurts. Now I only watch when Genie Francis is on & no one else.

I hope someone here can help guide me through my grief – because I’m not handling things well & its only been a few days. Is it strange that I am grieving so hard over a celebrity? I really do not have anyone to take to about this other than the amazing people here on this message board.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I really appreciate it. And please know that while I was typing this, the tears have not stopped at all.