'General Hospital' soap opera star dies at 78

Retired soap opera star Ron Hale has died aged 78.

Hale, who appeared on General Hospital as Mike Corbin and on Ryan's Hope as Dr. Rodger Coleridge, who starred in the film, died on August 27 at his home in St. George, South Carolina, according to an online obituary. News of his death spread widely on Wednesday evening.

Hale, who was formally known as Ronald Hale Thigpen, told Soaps In Depth exclusively in 2018 that he had decided to retire and had already appeared in his final appearance on “GH.” From 1995 to 2010 he played the father of Sonny Corinthos in the fictional Port Charles.

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Hale portrayed Roger Coleridge in over 900 episodes of the ABC soap opera Ryan's Hope, playing the entire series from 1975 to 1989.

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The Grand Rapids, Michigan native also portrayed Watergate burglar Frank Sturgis in the 1976 political film “All the President's Men,” about the Washington Post's coverage of the Watergate and Richard Nixon controversy. He starred alongside Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford in the Oscar-nominated film.

Other notable appearances include roles in films such as The Lord Protector and guest roles on television shows such as Search For Tomorrow, Matlock and MacGyver.

According to his obituary, the Screen Actors Guild member was born in Grand Rapids to the late James Ray Thigpen Sr. and Elinor Jane Doerr Thigpen. He also appeared in several plays at the Trustus Theater in Columbia, South Carolina, founded by his brother and sister-in-law Jim and Kay Thigpen.