Steve Burton Announces Departure from General Hospital After 21 Years

It’s like when your boyfriend tells you, “It’s not you, it’s me.” General Hospital fans are reeling from being “dumped” by Steve Burton, who has portrayed Jason Morgan (Quartermaine) on the ABC daytime soap opera since 1991. Through the years, we have watched Jason handle life, love, and loss. Now we are left with one question: “How can we say goodbye?”

Characters often shift from loveable to loathed in the soap world, but Burton’s character captured daytime fans’ attention when he went from spoiled rich kid/future doctor Jason Quartermaine to mobster hitman/anti-hero Jason Morgan as the result of a car accident. The brain damage Jason sustained wiped out all memories of loved ones and dreams of attending medical school, and left him with a high tolerance for risk and a cool new superpower—the ability to tell when someone is lying (don’t we all wish we could do that?). While many actors would’ve been hesitant to rebuild their character, Burton embraced the challenge and quickly became one of General Hospital’s leading men.

As a longtime fan of the show, I can relate to the sentiments expressed by many of my fellow soap watchers; Steve Burton (and Jason Morgan) will truly be missed. Jason is such an intriguing character: a killer by profession with an unrelenting desire to protect the people he loves at any cost. Somehow, I have managed to relate his storylines to whatever was happening in my life at the time. During Jason’s wedding to Samantha, I wondered if I could find a man who would skip the traditional wedding celebration and spontaneously marry me at a Chinese restaurant without stopping to whine, “But what about the bachelor party?”

Now I’m wondering how Sam and the rest of Port Charles will go on without him.

Burton’s final airdate is yet to be revealed, but it is likely that we won’t see Jason Morgan in 2013. His last scheduled filming date is September 25, 2012. Burton plans to pursue other projects and spend more time with his wife and children at his home in Nashville, Tennessee. He assures fans that he will continue to make personal public appearances and will continue to perform as part of the band “Port Chuck” with his General Hospital castmates. As for a possible return to daytime, Burton maintains a “never say never” attitude. For now, we will not say goodbye, we will simply say good luck, and see you soon!