More details about Leslie Charleson‘s tragic passing have come to light.
One month after the General Hospital alum died at age 79, the County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner determined her cause of death to be “sequelae of blunt head trauma,” meaning a condition caused by a previous head injury, according to online records viewed by E! News Feb. 13.
The medical examiner deemed her manner of death an accident, per the records.
And a prior skull injury wasn’t the only condition Leslie was struggling with at the time of her passing. Additionally, the medical examiner stated that she was diagnosed with asthma, arthritis, atrial fibrillation and normal pressure hydrocephalus—a brain disorder where excess cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) accumulates in the organ’s ventricles, according to Cleveland Clinic.
Charleson—who starred as Monica Bard Webber (later Monica Quartermaine) on General Hospital for nearly 50 years before leaving in 2023—died on Jan. 12 while at the hospital.
Following her passing, the soap opera’s executive producer Frank Valentini spoke out on the impact she left on the show—both on and off screen.
“Her enduring legacy has spanned nearly 50 years on General Hospital alone,” Valentini wrote on social media Jan. 12, “and, just as Monica was the heart of the Quartermaines, Leslie was a beloved matriarch of the entire cast and crew.”
Valerie Durant via Getty ImagesNoting that he would miss his “daily chats” with Leslie, in addition to her “quick wit and incredible presence on set,” he added, “On behalf of everyone at General Hospital, my heartfelt sympathy goes out to her loved ones during this difficult time.”
And Charleson—who boasted the longest tenure on General Hospital of any other cast member—felt equally as blessed to have been involved with the drama series. As she told Soap Opera Digest in 2001, “I really do love this job.”
“Look at it this way—what better job can you do than get up in the morning, roll out of bed, throw something on and then have someone take care of how you look and how you dress and what you say?” she continued. “How much more grateful could you possibly be?”
