What happened with Anthony Geary and Elizabeth Taylor? Inside the iconic actress’s relationship with the late actor

Veteran actor Anthony Geary died from surgery-related complications in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on December 14. He was 78. His husband, Claudio Gama, confirmed the news to TV Insider.

“It was a shock for me and our families and our friends. For more than 30 years, Tony has been my friend, my companion, my husband,” Gama said in his statement.

Anthony Geary and Claudio Gama had been married since February 2019. However, they first met in 1995.

Before that, Geary had a brief romance with the late actress Elizabeth Taylor in the 1980s. During a March 2010 appearance on The Wendy Williams Show, he claimed to have been her “boy toy.”

“I used to never talk about my relationship with Elizabeth Taylor because I'm a gentleman and don't kiss and tell, but she did an interview a few years ago for Talk Magazine where she outed us as more than friends... Yeah, so I don't mind telling that. I was sort of her boy toy for a couple of years,” Geary stated.

Notably, in 1981, Elizabeth Taylor made a cameo as Helena Cassiadine in a few episodes of Anthony Geary’s longest-running soap opera, General Hospital, where he played the fan-favourite role of Luke Spencer from 1978 to 2015.

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All about Anthony Geary’s relationship with Elizabeth Taylor

According to Anthony Geary’s conversation with Wendy Williams, Elizabeth Taylor was seemingly upset when PEOPLE Magazine misquoted him in 1983 as saying that they never dated.

“They had a picture of me on the cover, and the blurb there was ‘Anthony Geary looking for life after Luke... Admits his affair with Elizabeth Taylor was a hoax.’ I never said such a thing," Geary claimed.

The Bright Promise actor further explained:

“I said, ‘No, we are just friends.’ So, Elizabeth calls me, and she says: ‘Tony? I hear you told People Magazine that we didn't sleep together. That's the worst thing that anyone has ever said about me.’”

Elizabeth Taylor never publicly spoke about her affair with Anthony Geary.

In the wake of her demise in 2011, Geary shared a lengthy tribute with the Soap Opera Digest.

“Elizabeth was more than a great star; she was an amazing human being. Her world-famous physical beauty paled in comparison to the beauty that radiated from her heart and soul. She had great humor, didn't take herself too seriously, and had the most wonderful bawdy laugh,” Anthony began.

Geary continued by calling Taylor a “fierce and loyal friend,” who was also a “tireless advocate.”

“She dedicated herself to education, treatment and the search for a cure for HIV/ AIDS long before it was fashionable to do so. Back in the dark days of ignorance and prejudice against people stricken with the disease, Elizabeth was at the forefront of the battle,” the recently deceased actor noted about his ex-girlfriend.

Anthony Geary mentioned that the Cat on a Hot Tin Roof actress was always ready to provide “love, comfort, and dignity” to those whose lives had been “devastated and cut short” by HIV/ AIDS.

He added that Taylor’s “generosity” was “nothing short of spectacular.” In fact, if she ever heard that anyone was discriminated against their condition, she was “furious” and often came to their defense.

“I was fortunate enough to call her my friend, and every moment I spent in her company was unforgettable. I loved her very much. The world is a little darker, a little colder, a little less beautiful without her,” Anthony Geary ended his tribute.

Elizabeth Taylor died at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, on March 23, 2011. She was 79. The cause of death was congestive heart failure.

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Now, in the aftermath of Anthony Geary’s death, tributes are pouring in from fans and colleagues alike. For instance, Genie Francis, who played Geary’s onscreen wife, Laura Collins, on General Hospital, took to her social media and mourned the death.

“This morning, I woke up and went into my husband's arms. In my sleep, my life was flashing before me, and I was afraid of death. An hour later, I received a call from Frank Valentini, he told me Tony died. I immediately felt remorse. I hadn’t spoken to him in years, but I felt his life end in my sleep last night, and with it a big part of me, and mine,” Francis wrote.

Genie remembered her onscreen husband as a “powerhouse” actor who was “shoulder to shoulder with the greats.”

She continued, “No star burned brighter than Tony Geary. He was one of a kind. As an artist, he was filled with a passion for the truth, no matter how blunt or even a little rude it might be, but always hilariously funny. He was the anti-hero, always so irreverent, but even the most conservative had to smile.”

Genie Francis noted that working with Anthony Geary was “always exciting” as one never knew what might happen. She shared that he “spoiled me for leading men” for the rest of her life, adding that his death “crushed” her and she would “miss him terribly.”

“I was so lucky to be his partner. Somehow, somewhere, we are connected to each other because I felt him leave last night. Good night, sweet prince, good night,” Francie ended her heartfelt note.

Several others from the General Hospital family joined her in the tribute, including Kin Shriner, Maurice Benard, Rick Springfield, Frank Valentini, and John Stamos, among others.