Leslie Charleson, longest serving cast member of General Hospital, dead at 79

Leslie Charleson has died at the age of 79.

The actor was best known as Monica Quartermaine on the soap opera General Hospital, a role she began playing in 1977, making her the cast member who was on the show the longest. She was a four-time Daytime Emmy nominee.

General Hospital's executive producer Frank Valentini announced Charleson's death on the show's official Instagram page on Sunday.

"It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of my dear friend and colleague, Leslie Charleson," he began.

"Her enduring legacy has spanned nearly 50 years on General Hospital alone and, just as Monica was the heart of the Quartermaines, Leslie was a beloved matriarch of the entire cast and crew," he continued. "I will miss our daily chats, her quick wit and incredible presence on set."

Valentini concluded his message: "On behalf of everyone at General Hospital, my heartfelt sympathy goes out to her loved ones during this difficult time."

Once Charleson joined the General Hospital cast, she rarely made TV appearances outside it. But she did play herself in a 2004 episode of Friends, where she faced Joey Tribbiani (who also played a soap star) on a game show.