Stuart Damon, best known for his role as Dr. Alan Quartermaine on “General Hospital,” died Tuesday. He was 84.
“Stuart Damon played beloved patriarch Alan Quartermaine for 30 years,” Frank Valentini, “General Hospital” executive producer, said in a statement to USA TODAY. “He was a great actor and even greater man. His legacy lives on through ‘GH’ and all the lives he touched and all those who loved him. He will be missed.”
Damon’s family told ABC News 7 the actor had been “struggling with renal failure for the last several years.”
The actor landed the “General Hospital” role of Dr. Alan Quartermaine, part of the rich, dysfunctional and haughty Quartermaine family, in 1977. He was nominated for seven Daytime Emmys for his decades-long portrayal. In 1999, Damon finally won for best supporting actor for his depiction of Dr. Quartermaine’s addiction to Hydrocodone.
From 1999 to 2001, Damon reprised his Dr. Quartermaine role for the spinoff series “Port Charles.” He appeared regularly on “General Hospital” until his character’s death, from heart failure after a massive heart attack during February sweeps, in 2007. Dr. Quartermaine appeared sporadically on the daytime drama until 2013, sometimes in dreams and even as a ghost. “General Hospital” actors paid tribute to Damon on social media.
“I am so grateful to have had this wonderful man in my life. I am very sad today #StuartDamon #GH,” tweeted Genie Francis, who plays Laura Spencer on the soap opera.
Amber Tamblyn, who played Damon’s adopted daughter on “General Hospital” for seven years, tweeted she was “broken hearted” to hear the news.
“He was the most kind, wonderful, loving, supportive person. He always made me laugh and made me feel safe on set. I love you, Stewy. Rest well now, my friend,” Tamblyn wrote.
“General Hospital” actress Nancy Lee Grahnsaid Damon was “a lovely, funny, talented Prince of a man. He truly was Charming.”
“What a pleasure it was to work with his iconic self,” Grahn wrote on Twitter.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22692818/img0094A.1822.jpg)
Eden McCoy, Josslyn John Jacks on the ABC soap opera, tweeted that Damon “makes me proud and thankful to be even a small part of this show.”
Born in New York City, February 5, 1937, Damon began his career on Broadway. He shot to prominence portraying the prince opposite Lesley Ann Warren in the 1965 CBS musical production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Cinderella.”
Damon in worked on London’s West End stage also starring as a secret agent on the 1968-69 TV series “The Champions.” He appeared on British shows including “The Saint,” “Steptoe and Son” and “The New Avengers.”
Read more at usatoday.com
