One thing has become clear this past week after we learned of Anthony Geary’s passing. The General Hospital legend left a profound mark on the world, not just for his contributions in daytime, but also as a genuinely incredible human being and friend. Brandon Barash played Johnny Zacchara for nearly nine years on General Hospital, and in that time, he and Geary formed a lifelong friendship.

The depth of it was clear in Barash’s Instagram tribute to “Sweet Tony.”

“How is it that you’ve left this earthly plane so prematurely?” he asked. “The notion that I have no words to adequately convey my pain and emptiness would bring you great joy and even some punches of laughter. The hours upon hours we’d spend on your boat or in your home discussing words — be it our favorite books, me reading your writings out loud or you reading mine, our favorite curse words in different languages, etc… the irony isn’t lost on me.”

But words have a way of coming to you, when you speak from the heart. And that’s what Barash found. What he does know, he says, is that, “A piece of my heart shattered today. That’s okay, I’ll piece it back together with the most glittery glue I can find. The gaps in between the shards now imbued with memories from one of the most unique and at times whimsical friendships this life has given me.”

“What you taught me about the craft and about life will be forever woven into the fabric of my being,” Barash tells his friend. “Yes, even the black pudding. ‘Legend’ does not begin to describe the weight and impact your life had on this planet.”

Geary and his husband, Claudio, “are and will always be family.” Barash concluded. And while, “This loss has me, well, at a loss. You’d probably tell me to, ‘Buck up, Casanova.’ I intend on doing just that. Rest in whimsy, friend.”