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John Stamos is mourning the loss of two Hollywood legends.
On Monday, Dec. 15, the actor shared a tribute to his longtime friend and former General Hospital costar Anthony Geary, while also honoring Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner.
All three died on Sunday, Dec. 14. Geary and Rob were both 78, while Michele was 65. Geary’s husband Claudio Gama told TV Insider the actor died from complications following an operation. Rob and Michele, meanwhile, were found dead in their L.A. home, and their son Nick, 32, has been arrested for their murder.
In Stamos’ post, he wrote that he is “deeply saddened” by Geary’s death and reflected on what’s been a heavy 24 hours in Hollywood.
“Coming on the heels of the tragic deaths of Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, whom I admired immensely — this feels like a heartbreaking moment for so many of us who grew up watching and learning from these giants of our craft,” Stamos wrote.
John Stamos/Instagram
In the rest of Stamos’ post, he reflected on the profound impact Geary had on his career. He recalled the first day he met the actor when he was 19 on his first job, General Hospital.
“Tony could not have been kinder or more welcoming. At that age, everything feels big. He made it feel safe,” Stamos wrote. “I was mesmerized by his acting. I would stay after my scenes were finished just to watch him work — not because I had to, but because I wanted to learn. Watching Tony was like watching someone rewrite the rules in real time.”
Calling Geary “one of a kind,” Stamos said the actor “changed the face of daytime television” and “changed my life.”
“What always stood out to me was how real he was. He never fell into the traps or tricks that can happen when you’re doing the volume needed for an hour show every day. He attacked every character and every script with honesty, intelligence, and fearlessness. There was no autopilot with Tony — ever.”
Geary supported Stamos when he got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2009, which the Full House star said “meant the world to me” and was emblematic of who Geary was. “He showed up — quietly and generously.”
In his post, Stamos included photos from the 2009 ceremony as well as two shots of him, Geary and Demi Moore. Stamos and Moore both joined General Hospital in 1982 and starred together on the soap for two years.
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Stamos said that Geary is “part of my foundation as an actor” and “will always be part of my work” as he concluded the lengthy tribute.
“Thank you, Tony, for your brilliance, your kindness, and for setting the bar so impossibly high,” he said. “You really stood out. Rest easy, my friend.”
Geary was best known for playing Luke Spencer on General Hospital, a role he played on the soap opera from 1978 until his exit in 2015.
Part of Luke’s footprint was his relationship with Laura (Genie Francis), the other half of daytime’s biggest supercouple. When the characters wed in 1981 on the soap, it was watched by 30 million people, making it the most-watched episode in soap opera history.
