Remembering General Hospital’s Stone Cates On the Anniversary of His Death — Plus, Kimberly McCullough Reflects on the Groundbreaking Story

November 29, 1995 was an impossibly hard one for fans of the ABC soap. It was also what the Emmy winner calls “my finest moment as an actor.”

It’s possible that more recent daytime viewers are unaware of the fact that soap operas once informed as well as entertained their audiences. We still had our share of love triangles, catfights, evil twins, and other clichés, but we also had our share of heartbreaking and enlightening tales.

The four remaining shows are now much more afraid of losing even a small number of fans than there were when there were many more on the air. Therefore, the pioneers of the genre dealt openly with subjects that nowadays would frighten the living daylights out of the ruling class.

Agnes Nixon forced Erica Kane of All My Children to exercise her right to an abortion and made Carla Gray of One Life to Live aware that Black lives matter. Katherine Chancellor of The Young and the Restless was given a girlfriend by William J. Bell.

Religious differences served as an insurmountable barrier to the romance between Patrick Ryan and Nancy Feldman in Ryan’s Hope, which was written by Claire Labine and Paul Avila Mayer. Labine also gave Stone Cates, a victim of the AIDS epidemic, a face at General Hospital.

Innocence Lost

The audience was already smitten with Michael Sutton’s character, the ward of neighborhood mafioso Sonny Corinthos and Robin Scorpio’s first boyfriend, by the time he learned he was HIV-positive. It was a big deal that we liked Stone for Kimberly McCullough because we had watched her develop as a teenager on screen. Heck, we were rooting for the kids to get together despite her Uncle Mac’s opposition because we liked the couple so much.

They could have overcome him if only.

The young people had initially engaged in safe sex. However, since he had tested HIV-negative, they decided to disregard caution—a choice they both came to deeply regret. Stone was retested after getting the sick. and discovered he was HIV positive. How on earth could he tell Robin? He sobbed, “I placed you in peril. (The entire scene can be seen below.)

‘Oh, Robin, I See You!’

From that point on, Stone’s condition worsened with a speed that underscored the cruelty and relentlessness of the disease. As it progressed from HIV to full-blown AIDS — and Robin found out that she, too, was infected — the patient was given his options by doctors Alan Quartermaine and Tony Jones. (You can watch below.)

But each course of treatment seemed worse than the last, and neither was guaranteed to extend Stone’s life, much less make it one that he’d feel was worth living.

The audience was already smitten with Michael Sutton’s character, the ward of neighborhood mafioso Sonny Corinthos and Robin Scorpio’s first boyfriend, by the time he learned he was HIV-positive. It was a major matter that we liked Stone for Kimberly McCullough since we had watched her develop as a teenager on TV. Heck, we were rooting for the kids to get together despite her Uncle Mac’s opposition since we liked the couple so much.

They could have overcome him if only.

Robin did as Stone asked, and slowly, little by little, she began to come into focus for him. He was so shocked that he gasped. Audibly gasped. “I see you,” he cried in disbelief. “Oh, Robin, I see you.”

Alas, her face would be the last thing that he would see in his short life. (You can watch below.)

Life After Death

Robin entered the bed where Stone was sleeping, threw herself into his arms, and sobbed with tears streaming down her face. He had left. Robin’s expression when Sonny walked in told him everything he needed to know. But what use would it be to him?

He moved around as if looking for something to punch. He was a repairman. What in the world could he do with this suffering that neither he nor Robin could escape? What was he able to do for Stone? Nothing. Sonny was unable to take it.

The don later held Stone’s hand and allowed the agony to consume him from the inside out when they were left alone with the boy whom he had come to love like a son. It cut through him like a razor blade, and he wasn’t sure when it would stop.

Meanwhile, Mac called Luke Spencer for his niece. Luke knew. The minute Mac said that Robin wanted to speak with him, he knew what had happened. “Thank you for being so good to” Stone, Robin told him.

“It was an honor, love,” replied Luke. Robin’s dad used to call her that, she remembered. She could only wish that he was there with her now.

Finally, as Stone’s loved ones gathered at his deathbed, Robin mustered up the strength to tell them, “It’s gonna be OK.”

“How?” asked Sonny.

“I don’t know yet,” she admitted. “But we have to make it like that. It’s what he’d want.”

Life Goes On

Robin entered the bed where Stone was sleeping, threw herself into his arms, and sobbed with tears flowing down her cheeks. He had left. Robin’s look when Sonny walked in told him all he needed to know. But what use would it be to him? He moved around as though looking for anything to punch. He was a repairman. What in the world could he do with this suffering that neither he nor Robin could escape? What was he able to do for Stone? Nothing. Sonny was unable to take it.

The don afterwards grabbed Stone’s hand and allowed the agony to consume him from the inside out when they were left alone with the kid whom he had come to love like a son. It cut through him like a razor blade, and he wasn’t sure when it would end.

A Tear-Stained Flashback

Twenty-five years after Stone passed away, McCullough posted a statement on social media, stating, “25 years ago today, I experienced what would become my finest moment as an actor. AIDS caused my character to lose her first love.

As she continued, “The love that poured through us that day was a reflection of the best of us, when we can see through the prejudice and the fear of a disease and treat the person experiencing deterioration with compassion.” “Telling stories can serve as a means of enlightenment, and yes, even soap operas have the power to affect global change. I think we accomplished that with the Robin and Stone story.

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A Lasting Impact

McCullough and Maurice Benard (Sonny) had a conversation about the significance of the plot in 2021. She said on a State of Mind podcast episode, “This was the first heterosexual couple ever to deal with AIDS in any medium.” Additionally, “we didn’t keep harping on the question of how he obtained it. He must be a loser if he was doing drugs, I thought.

She clarified, “That wasn’t the story. The narrative went like this: “We are going through this together. This is what you’re dealing with right now. This is who you are as a person right now. You’re a great person. I cherished the impartial, instructive aspect of it.

McCullough soon realized that the plot was having an impact on the audience. People frequently approached her with the statement, “My brother is gay, and my mom wouldn’t talk to him until this happened on the show,” she recalled. And it’s not like we were telling a gay storyline, but some people felt compelled to see Robin after watching him grow up. For them to understand that “Oh, this can happen to anyone,” they had to watch her go through it. Not because my son is gay and that makes him a bad person. It managed to do so in such a nice way.

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