Denise Alexander is paying tribute to Jacklyn Zeman, a fellow cast member of General Hospital, who passed away suddenly on May 9 following a brief fight with cancer.
Zeman passed away just three days after turning 70 and less than two weeks after her final episode of General Hospital, which aired on April 27.
Losing a dear friend is hard. Losing a dear friend with whom you worked closely for years and years… sigh. Even harder.
No one need tell that to General Hospital legend Denise Alexander, who has played Lesley Webber off and on since 1973. The recent passing of Jacklyn Zeman, who was added to the ABC soap’s cast only a few years later as Bobbie Spencer, has hit her hard.
As Dr. Lesley Webber, Denise Alexander joined the General Hospital cast in 1973. Jacklyn Zeman didn’t join the cast as Nurse Bobbie Spencer until 1977. Up until Jacklyn’s untimely death on May 9, Denise and Jacklyn developed a close friendship both on and off camera.
Not all of Alexander’s old cast mates honored Zeman. On May 11, a few days after the star’s passing, Anthony Geary, who played Luke Spencer in the program, gave TVLine an exclusive message. For more than 40 years, Zeman’s character had Geary’s character as a big brother.
“I never once overheard her speak ill of any actor, crew member, or colleague. In reality, Jackie never once spoke ill of someone in front of me. I’ve discovered this quality to be incredibly uncommon in a highly competitive industry where ego, feelings, and emotions are the lifeblood,” Geary wrote.
“I love you forever,” Alexander concluded her message. And that just about says it all, doesn’t it?