Very sad news: "General Hospital" star Tristan Rogers has died. He played superspy and leading man Robert Scorpio on and off for over 40 years.

Rogers made a farewell appearance recently on the long running ABC soap after leaving the show last November. For a couple of years at least it's been clear to viewers that he was losing ground in his fight with cancer.

When Rogers arrived on "General Hospital," he was the unique star, an Australian version of James Bond. He was integrated to the main story -- as if 007 would become the police commissioner in an upstate New York backwater -- but always played the part with intelligence, wit, and panache.

During the last four decades, Rogers left and had stints on other shows like "The Young the Restless" (where he played a charming con man) but he was always the debonair Scorpio.

Rogers despite his illness kept going on "General Hospital." He had taken to sitting during scenes over the last year, and looked exhausted, but in real 007 style, he never gave or gave up.

"General Hospital" has lost a lot of actors from its heyday in the 1980s this year and last including Leslie Charleson, Denise Alexander, Jacklyn Zeman, and Chris Robinson. Recently, actor Kin Shriner, who'd also been there for four decades, was shelved without explanation. Only a couple of familiar faces remain. It's the end of an era.