General Hospital Stars Suffered Real-Life Tragedies, Maurice Benard Opens Up

One of the longest-running and most successful soap operas on television is General Hospital. It has a tremendous following that adores the dramatic and emotional stories set in the made-up town of Port Charles. Fans have seen various narratives that have been interwoven with heartbreaking events throughout the years.

The characters that General Hospital viewers have grown to love so deeply over the years have truly made them cry and laugh at the same time. But occasionally there are not many differences between fiction and reality. The real-life analogues to these people have also valiantly overcome some horrible events in their lives and have progressed significantly as a result. Here are a few of these true stories for you to read:

Maurice Benard: Sonny Corinthos Of General Hospital

There is no need to introduce General Hospital’s great star, Maurice Benard. Sonny is the boss of a criminal organisation in real life. The Emmy-winning actor is a fervent supporter of mental health awareness in real life, though. Several times, we have talked about the exchanges from Maurice’s State of Mind mental health programme. He has a personal motivation to raise awareness about it. Early in the 1980s, Maurice Benard received a bipolar disorder diagnosis. His struggle with the illness grew so ingrained in his life that he even made his General Hospital character, Sonny, reflect it.

Early in his career, Maurice spoke with the creators of General Hospital about his Bipolar Disorder. He did not want them to be unaware of his medical condition. The actor actually had a breakdown in 1993 while filming General Hospital. Third major Manic episode for Maurice. The first occurred in 1985 during a depressive episode. He had to go to the hospital to get treated for it. The seasoned celebrity has frequently discussed his difficult moments and how he would rely on his family and his meds for assistance. The celebrity claims that despite his illness, he has been able to lead a successful life and exhorts those in similar situations to never give up and to fight back.

Steve Burton

We have seen several instances of adultery causing marriages to fail and pregnancies occurring outside of marriage throughout the years. Steve Burton, a former cast member of General Hospital, met a similar demise in real life. He revealed that his 23-year marriage was virtually finished in May 2022. He and his wife Sheree filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences as the basis for the split. It should be noted that Sheree’s pregnancy announcement and the news of their divorce both happened at around the same time.

Later, the General Hospital actor made a public denial that he was Sheree’s baby’s father. He did, however, remark that they will keep up their joint parenting of their three children. Sheree made the decision to keep silent despite Steve’s unexpected admission that he wasn’t the father. The fitness teacher has kept her fourth child’s father’s name a secret. A few months later, the couple’s failure to have a prenuptial agreement made headlines once more.

General Hospital Real-Life Tragedies: Kelly Monaco

Kelly Monaco is best known to General Hospital audiences as Sam McCall on the ABC serial opera. The little actress had to witness her Sherman Oaks house burn down in a fire, which was a devastating loss for her. Fortunately, she managed to escape the fire alive, but her home was completely destroyed. destroying not only the building but also Kelly’s ambitions and plans for the home. The unimaginable occurred as the celebrity was soundly dozing.

A strange noise that sounded like hail awakened her up. The General Hospital star later discovered that it was the crackling of the fire after awakening. Kelly dialled 911 right away. Later, it was determined that a cigarette that had been discarded on the grass in the vacant lot adjacent to her house was what caused the fire. In an interview about the incident, Kelly said that even something as simple as a cigarette can inflict so much harm and even fatalities. This serves as an excellent reminder to constantly pay attention to these minute details when examining the safety precautions.

Kristen Storm: Maxie Jones Of General Hospital

On General Hospital, the gifted actress has played the part of Maxie Jones since 2005. The gifted actress gained notoriety for her portrayal and received a lot of praise and admiration from the audience. However, after divorcing her spouse in 2016, she experienced a downward spiral in her personal life. A few months later, Kristen had to take some time out of work since her anxiety-triggered skin issue needed to be treated.

The health issues she had throughout the years didn’t end with this. On the episode hosted by General Hospital actor Maurice Benard, Kristen discussed her ongoing struggle with mental health difficulties. She stated that she had gone through some really difficult moments and that she had been given a bipolar disorder diagnosis. Talking about mental health difficulties becomes more common among young people in pop culture when celebrities do it openly. All of our stars deserve praise for their bravery and honesty.

Jack Wagner

Jack Wagner, a star of General Hospital, and his wife Kristina experienced the worst type of sorrow a parent could possibly go through. Harrison, Jack and Kristina’s youngest kid, passed away. In a short clip he shared on Instagram, Jack discussed their tragic loss. The actor expressed his gratitude to his followers for their unending love and support throughout his life’s ups and downs. Jack said in the video that his son Harrison died at the young age of 27.

The General Hospital star also said that his son’s lost fight with addiction was the cause of his death. Jack noted that Harrison had even gone missing briefly in 2016. The actor was struggling with drug addiction at the time. The loss of a kid is so great that there is no way to make up for it. We strongly urge everyone reading to be aware of how frequently they turn to drugs or alcohol when they are feeling down. Please consider some of the safer coping mechanisms available.

Please feel free to leave a comment if you would want to share any similar personal experiences. We guarantee to merely listen here—a it’s safe space—and never pass judgement. Love and power to everyone reading this right now!