"General Hospital" star Anthony Geary shed a few tears when current and former cast members -- including the actress Genie Francis, who played his onscreen wife, Laura Spencer -- showed up to say good-bye on his final day, reports Entertainment Weekly.

Once his last scene for the ABC soap wrapped up just before noon, roughly 200 cast and crew members packed the show's soundstage to pay tribute to the 68-year-old actor who portrayed one of "General Hospital's" most popular characters, Luke Spencer.

Geary began his role as Luke in 1978, and continued to play the character on and off over the past four decades.

"Thank you for putting up with me as a petulant teenager," said Francis, referencing their famous onscreen relationship. "Thank you for the best acting partnership I've ever known."

Francis said that she was very grateful for Geary's kind gesture of sending her flowers after the filming of their infamous rape scene in 1979. Though their onscreen romance started with a violent act, Luke and Laura managed to capture the devotion of millions of fans.

Luke's wedding to Laura in 1981 had an astonishing 30 million viewers. The wedding ceremony was the most-watched episode in daytime history, according to Entertainment Weekly. On his last day, a video montage included highlights of the ceremony, which Geary is ready to forget.

"It was 33 years ago, people," Geary joked. "For Christ's sake, let it go."