Gregory’s death on General Hospital has no doubt affected everyone who knew him and was a powerful story about appreciating the time we have left on this mortal coil. The show chose to present his ultimate demise in a heartbreaking manner, and it could have been much more difficult than it was.
ALS Takes No Prisoners
When someone hears the term amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which is also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, they often think of theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking who was diagnosed with it in 1963 at the young age of 21 — when it was then called motor neurone disease (MND). Although the affliction shortens one’s life exponentially, the scientist amazingly lived until 2018, when he died at age 76. For the latter half of his life, he was confined to a wheelchair, required 24/7 care, and communicated through a sophisticated computer that would speak words that he chose. His body was paralyzed, with only his brain active, and it must have been a tortured life for the celebrated genius.
Gregory Chase (Gregory Harrison) on GH was diagnosed with ALS in April 2023, and just over a year later, the character tragically passed away peacefully in his sleep from heart failure on the May 21 episode. Leading up to that, Gregory knew the horrors that lay ahead of him from the disease, including “Muscle weakness or stiffness that progresses, [with] wasting and paralysis of the muscles of the limbs, trunk, and those that control vital functions generally [following],” according to the ALS Association. In other words, Gregory was headed for a difficult fate where he would be fully conscious but trapped in an unusable body. (See how soap stars banded together to benefit people with ALS.)
GH Handled the Story With Decorum
GH opted to have Gegory’s fate with the disease be fast-moving, which culminated in a relatively peaceful demise, preceded by a montage of his life that surely didn’t leave a dry eye in the audience.
Not only does the show get points for telling the story with dignity, but Harrison’s performance should be applauded. He portrayed Gregory as a man who knew his fate but chose to face it head-on and fight for every ounce of independence he could until the very end.
Although he struggled through officiating his son Harrison’s (Josh Swickard) wedding to Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton), he got through it with some encouragement from Tracy (Jane Elliot), and everyone in attendance applauded his efforts. In the end, his words to his friends and family about cherishing each moment, for they may be your last, will reverberate for years to come. (Check out how Harrison’s co-stars said goodbye to him.)
