Leslie Charleson, the soap opera legend known for appearing in over 2,000 episodes of General Hospital, passed away from blunt head trauma. However, it seems the injury wasn’t recent.
According to documents obtained by TMZ, Charleson died from the “sequelae of blunt head trauma” – essentially the long-term effects of a head injury she had suffered. The exact time of the injury is unclear, but it’s known that several falls in recent years kept her from appearing on General Hospital.
In addition to the head injury, the L.A. County medical examiner noted that Leslie had a history of asthma, arthritis, atrial fibrillation, and normal pressure hydrocephalus – a condition where cerebrospinal fluid builds up in the brain, according to Johns Hopkins.
As we previously reported, Leslie passed away on January 12 after a long battle with an illness.
Leslie’s big break came in 1977 when she took over the role of Monica Bard from actress Patsy Rahn on GH. From 1977 to 2023, she appeared in 2,079 episodes of the iconic show.
She also had guest roles in shows like Mannix, The Wild Wild West, Marcus Welby, M.D., Happy Days, Cannon, and Barnaby Jones.
Leslie was 79. Rest in peace.
