Leslie Charleson, the soap-opera legend who played Monica Quartermaine on 'General Hospital' starting in the 1970s, died Sunday. She was 79.

Leslie Charleson, who played Dr. Monica Quartermaine on “General Hospital” for nearly half a century, has died, according to the show’s executive producer, Frank Valentini. She was 79. “It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of my dear friend and colleague, @lesliecharleson,” he wrote in a thread on X on Jan. 12.

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