Tributes have been pouring in following the death of General Hospital star Denise Alexander at the age of 85.
The beloved soap icon was best known for playing Lesley Webber on the long-running TV series set in the fictional town of Port Charles, New York.
She also earned critical acclaim for her role as Hunter Martin on Days of Our Lives.
Alexander reportedly passed away on March 5. Her cause of death is unknown.
The news was confirmed on Friday by General Hospital showrunner Frank Valentini, who paid tribute to her in a heartfelt post on X.
“I am so very sorry to hear of Denise Alexander’s passing,” he wrote.
“She broke barriers on-screen and off, portraying Dr. Lesley Webber – one of the first female doctors on Daytime Television – for nearly five decades.
“It meant so much to have her reprise her role in recent years and I am honored to have had the opportunity to work with her.
“On behalf of the entire General Hospital family, I extend my heartfelt sympathies to her family, friends, and longtime fans. May she rest in peace.”
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Denise’s on-screen daughter, Genie Francis, reflected on their bond in an interview with TV Insider.
“I loved her. She loved me,” she shared. “I stole her good stuff. When I look at myself sometimes on television, which I don’t do often because I don’t really like to watch myself, but I have seen myself do stuff and been kind of taken aback because I realized I just did Denise.
“So, when I say I stole her good stuff, I’m saying I was so young, she imprinted on me. And some of my acting, some of my style of acting, was directly imprinted on me by Denise Alexander. And she was very, very good to me as I was growing up.”
Born in New York City in 1939, Alexander grew up on Long Island and began acting at just six years old, performing on radio before moving into theatre and television.
By 13, she was starring on Broadway in a revival of The Children’s Hour.
In 1956, she made her film debut in the drama Crime In The Streets with John Cassavetes and Sal Mineo.
Her breakthrough came with her role on Days of Our Lives as Susan Hunter from 1966 to 1973, all while attending university at UCLA.
Eventually lured by an enticing contract, she moved to General Hospital in 1973.
Alexander portrayed Dr. Lesley Webber from 1973 until 1984, later returning from 1996 to 2009 and making occasional guest appearances as recently as 2021.
She was married to Richard A. Colla, a producer and director who died in 2021.
