Almost exactly a year to the day since “General Hospital” executive producer Frank Valentini first teased the return of a beloved former male cast member, wherein fans would “go crazy for HIM,” on Thursday, it was announced that Jonathan Jackson would be exiting the daytime drama series as Lucky Spencer.
According to TV Insider, which first broke the news, Jackson will depart the soap opera next week, more than nine months after reprising his Daytime Emmy Award-winning role following a nearly 10-year absence.
“We were so glad Jonathan was able to reprise the role of Lucky, even if was for a limited time,” said Valentini in a statement released to the outlet. “We wish him nothing but the best, and the door is always open for Jonathan to return.”
On the Wednesday, June 4 episode of the show, Lucky asked Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst) to marry him, formally rekindling their dormant relationship that later resulted in the birth of their son, Aiden (Colin Cassidy). Despite his name, things weren’t so lucky for the Spencer family heir as Elizabeth turned him down.
With his proposal going unreciprocated, Lucky revealed that he’ll be leaving Port Charles, stating, “I know it’s sudden. But being here, knowing that we can’t be together, it just hurts too much.”
In the lead up to his character’s exit, TV Insider noted that Lucky will make the “rounds saying goodbye and then take off once again.”
Outside of daytime, Jackson made a name for himself in primetime, starring in ABC’s “Nashville” for six seasons where he appeared as Avery Barkley, an aspiring country music star who went on to create a family with Hayden Panettiere’s (“Guiding Light”) country/pop singer character Juliette Barnes.
On the film side, he had roles in such films as “Tuck Everlasting,” “Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights,” “Venom,” and “Unsung Hero.”
