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

Wally Kurth joined General Hospital in 1991 as Ned Ashton, a member of the Quartermaine family — so Ned enjoyed a close relationship with his aunt, Monica Quartermaine, played by Leslie Charleson, who passed away on January 12,

Leslie Charleson, whose Dr. Monica Quartermaine was the longest-tenured character on “General Hospital,” has died. She was 79. Charleson died of complications from a long illness, said ABC News, which broadcasts the long-running soap opera.