'General Hospital' Patriarch John Ingle Passes

"General Hospital" star John Ingle passed away at the age of 84 on Sunday, Sept. 16. The teacher turned daytime veteran has been fighting cancer since January, according to his family, no doubt pulling on the strength seen in the ruthless and irascible Quartermaine patriarch, Edward, who he played from 1994 to this August. As soap opera fans know, Ingle also stepped out of Port Charles for a few years in the middle to play Mickey Horton on "Days of our Lives."

 

Bing: More about "General Hospital" | John Ingle

 

"With great sadness, I share the news of John Ingle's passing. We love him and will miss him. John will always be a part of the #GH family," tweeted "General Hospital" executive producer Frank Valentini.

 

The news of Ingle's passing was first released by his family, via Facebook.

John Houston Ingle
May 7, 1928 - September 16, 2012 

Father, Husband, Grandan, Great Grandan, Brother, Uncle, Friend, Teacher, Inspirer, Mentor: May You Soar with the Angels. You will forever hold a special place in the deepest corners of our hearts. You were joy, light and love. Goodness at its very best. For the rest of our days, we will all do our best to continue to make you proud. Rest in peace and continue to spread your generous spirit in the heavens above. 

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. With love forever, from:.

Your 5 - J. Ingle Belles and the family, friends and loved ones you leave behind.

Ingle taped his last "General Hospital" scene on Aug. 24, an outing for which the ailing actor and his family were clearly very thankful.  

 

"His scene was small and he had very few words…. but his presence on the set was monumental," his daughter posted on Facebook. "Beginning with a standing ovation by the entire cast and crew as we entered the set, to the line of people waiting to hug and wish him well, it was a day that he (and we) will remember forever. Several months ago, Dad had said that 'if he only had one more day on the set of General Hospital, he would feel like he had won'…. On that Friday, with the help of one of his caregivers (Anthony), a wheelchair van and 2 of his daughters, (myself and Chrissy), that goal was realized. Entering the set of GH was emotional for Dad and it was obvious why he has loved being there all these years. Chrissy and I joked and said it was the ONLY 'Hospital' we have enjoyed visiting since January! Ha! The filming did not take that long and Dad did a good job.”

 

“The cast and crew were patient and worked with Dad to get a scene that was meaningful. Standing there watching the monitor, we were struck by the reality that it was not Edward Quartermaine who was on the set….it was Dad surrounded by people who love and care about him. It was truly a wonderful afternoon. None of us know what tomorrow holds, but today we will hang onto the memory of August 24th and the love and support that was shown for our Dad…."

That episode aired Sept. 11. Edward shows up at the hospital just over seven minutes into the clip below.

Ingle's wife of 57 years, Grace-Lynne Martin Ingle, died in February. They are survived by five daughters, nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren,​ not to mention a legion of soap opera fans and friends. 

Soap Stars Share Their Thoughts Via Twitter

Stars from "General Hospital" and daytime soaps at large have spoken out via twitter. Here are some of those posts: 

Maurice Benard (‏@MauriceBenardMB): John Ingle was a class act, a professional and the sweetest man you'll ever meet

Steve Burton (‏@1SteveBurton): A great husband. A great father. A great friend. A great actor. A great man. We love you John.