Tragic Details About Former General Hospital Star Kelly Monaco

Warning: This article contains mentions of substance use and death by suicide.

Kelly Monaco's final scene on ABC's long-running soap opera "General Hospital" aired on November 1, 2024, when her character Samantha McCall passed away. Monaco had regularly portrayed Sam since 2003, save for short periods in recent years when Lindsay Hartley, another daytime legend, briefly replaced her.

Fans of "General Hospital," Monaco, and the character Sam, expressed disappointment at the news that she was fired from the show. Their anger increased when Monaco made explosive claims that leaving "General Hospital" was not her choice and that she, too, was surprised to learn that her character was being killed off. Viewers were so upset that they organized a petition on Change.org to convince the show's executives and producers to keep Monaco and her character on the show. At last count, the petition had garnered 18,000+ signatures.

While being let go from a role she has successfully played for more than two decades is devastating, unfortunately, this is not the first time Monaco has faced difficult challenges.

In 2005, Monaco competed and won the inaugural season of "Dancing With the Stars." She would return to "DWTS" years later, in 2012, for its All-Stars season. Although things were going great for Monaco professionally, she faced some personal challenges during this period.

In 2009, her apartment was burglarized while she slept in her bedroom. Monaco was unharmed in the attack. The burglar was apprehended and, months later, sentenced to 12 to 30 months in prison. He was also ordered to pay Monaco $5000 in restitution, as well as a $25 court fee and $150 DNA fee.

Years later, Monaco would experience another tragedy when her home was damaged by a fire. Monaco, who was then living in Sherman Oaks, California, was unharmed, although the fire destroyed some of the structure. The fire was reportedly started by a cigarette, which was discarded in an empty lot near Monaco's home. While Monaco did not publicly comment on the incident, her mother confirmed it in an exclusive interview with People. She expressed her relief that Monaco was safe, adding, "The most important thing that had to get out of that house that night got out of that house that night, and it was her."

In 2020, as "General Hospital" returned to production in the wake of the pandemic, it was announced that the character Sam McCall would be temporarily portrayed by Lindsey Hartley. Monaco, fans were informed, was suffering from a breathing problem and was ordered to quarantine for two weeks. Monaco's mother took to X, formerly Twitter, to assure fans that she was doing well and would soon return to the show. She later added that Monaco had a difficult time wearing a mask and further went on to express surprise that Monaco had been ordered to quarantine. As her mother told it, Monaco had tested negative for COVID-19 multiple times.

This would not be the only time Hartley would step in for Monaco. She temporarily took over the role again in 2022. However, at that time, no explanation was given for the change other than Monaco being unavailable for filming. Hartley returned again in 2024 in the role, surprising many viewers, as no announcement was made of her temporarily stepping in. However, news that Monaco was being written out of the show had begun circulating.

Monaco's most public on-the-record relationship was with long-term love Mike Gonzalez. Having met when Monaco was still in high school, the two dated for 18 years, even attending community college together, before breaking up in 2009. Often fiercely private, Monaco uncharacteristically discussed the end of the relationship a year later on "The Wendy Williams Show" and admitted that it was devastating for her. She also added that while she still loved Gonzalez, she had fallen out of love with him.
A year later, in an interview with ABC News Radio, Monaco admitted that she was not yet ready to move on to another relationship. She suggested that any new man in her life would have big shoes to fill after Gonzalez. At the time, it appeared that despite their breakup, Monaco still had fond memories of her time with Gonzalez. However, the same year, on the short-lived reality series "Dirty Soap," Monaco painted a decidedly less than positive picture of her relationship with Gonzalez, suggesting that it was toxic and he had betrayed her.

Monaco has always been private about her personal life, rarely openly discussing her relationships. However, while she never publicly discussed it, numerous public outings and red-carpet appearances together confirmed her relationship with fellow actor Heath Freeman. Sources suggest that the couple dated for four years, from 2010 to 2014, and remained friendly after the split. In fact, in 2020, Freeman wished Monaco a Happy Birthday on Instagram with the caption, "Happy birthday to my best friend on Planet Earth."

Tragically, a year later, on November 14, 2021, Freeman passed away from an accidental overdose. Known for various guest roles on shows like "Bones" and "NCIS," Freeman's death came as a shock to many. Former co-stars and friends, such as Shana Moakler and Gabriel-Kane Day-Lewis, expressed their condolences on social media. Monaco maintained a public silence, but insiders reported that she was devastated by the news. "General Hospital" co-star Ingo Rademacher expressed condolences to Monaco in the comments below Shana Moakler's Instagram tribute to Freeman.

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Like her relationship with Heath Freeman, Monaco never publicly confirmed a romantic relationship with "General Hospital" co-star Billy Miller. However, speculation swirled for years about the nature of the pair's relationship, particularly after they were photographed frolicking together on a beach in 2015. The two first became close when Miller took over the role of Sam McCall's love interest, Jason Morgan, in 2014 after Steve Burton's exit. Five years later, in 2019, Miller exited the show. At the time, Monaco expressed how upset she was in a since-deleted tweet, writing, "I feel like I have to address this situation. #BillyMiller 's untimely departure from #gh. Honestly, I can not come up with the words to describe how I feel about this decision... a decision that may not be what our audience thinks to be true. I'm heartbroken..." (via SoapHub).

Just a few years later, on September 15, 2023, Miller, who was diagnosed from bipolar disorder, died by suicide. Former co-stars across the soap opera community and primetime shows expressed profound sadness over the news. Once again, Monaco maintained a public silence. However, one year later, on the anniversary of Miller's passing, she took to her Instagram in a since-deleted post to express her grief over Miller's passing, vowing to one day "tell our story," adding, "I love and miss you... and beyond." (via TV Insider).

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