A soap opera star who appeared on more than 2,000 episodes of “General Hospital” is dead at age 79.

BELOVED General Hospital star Leslie Charleson has died aged 79. Leslie was best known for her role in the hit US soap opera where she played Monica Quartermaine for nearly 50 years, starring in

Leslie Charleson, the beloved soap opera veteran who starred as Dr. Monica Quartermaine in 2,079 episodes of the long-running series General Hospital, has died at the age of 79. Charleson’s death was announced on Sunday (January 12) by executive producer Frank Valentini from the hit series’ official Instagram page.

The fictional character Monica Quartermaine was introduced in 1976 and quickly became one of the show’s most iconic and enduring figures.

Leslie Charleson, who starred as Dr. Monica Quartermaine on the soap opera “General Hospital” for nearly 50 years, has died at the age of 79. Frank Valentini, who is an executive producer for “General Hospital,” announced Charleson’s death in a post on social media. According to USA Today, Charleson died of complications from a long illness.

Ms. Charleson played Dr. Monica Quartermaine, a cardiologist and family matriarch, on the daytime series for 46 years.

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Longtime General Hospital star Leslie Charleson died at the age of 79, the show's executive producer announced on Sunday2. "It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of my dear friend and colleague,

Her enduring legacy has spanned nearly 50 years on ‘General Hospital’ alone and just as Monica was the heart of the Quartermaines,” Valentini writes. “Leslie was a beloved matriarch of the entire cast and crew.