General Hospital star Jay North passes away at 73

Actor Jay North, who briefly played Al Barker in General Hospital, passed away on April 6, 2025, at his home in Lake Butler, Florida. North was 73 years old at the time of his death and was famous for playing the titular character on Dennis the Menace, a CBS comedy. Jay North is survived by his third wife, Cindy Hackney, and three stepdaughters.

North died after a long struggle with colorectal cancer, as per a Facebook post by Laurie Jacobson, a friend of North. She shared that she got the unfortunate news from Jeannie Russell, North's Dennis the Menace co-star, playing Margaret Wade.

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What was Jay North's character on General Hospital?

As mentioned before, Jay North was briefly part of General Hospital, playing Al Barker, in 1982. He appeared in April and June of 1982. Al Barker was a lab technician at the titular hospital. He was also a part-time geologist. However, after a couple of appearances, North left the soap, as his character, Barker, was killed by Basil Durban.

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More about Jay North as an actor

Born in August 1951, Jay North started his acting career as a child actor at an early age, doing minor roles and commercials. His first major break was playing the lead character, Dennis Mitchell, on the CBS show Dennis the Menace, which premiered in October 1959.

While it shot him to fame, North was often typecasted as the impish Dennis. The show ran for four seasons and was cancelled in 1963.

Some of the other titles that North worked on include The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Zebra in the Kitchen, The Lucy Show, The Teacher, and Maya. He also worked as a voice actor in shows such as Arabian Knights, The Banana Splits Adventure Hour, Here Comes the Grump, The Simpsons, The Flinstone Comedy Hour, The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show, and many more.

Some of his lesser-known characters were on popular shows such as Jericho, Kenny, Lassie, Scout's Honor, General Hospital, and more. He also played an adult Dennis in October 1988 on HBO's comedy show, Not Neccessarily the News. He was last seen on screen on Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star.

In his later days, Jay North joined A Minor Consideration, which provides guidance and support for former young performers. North had relocated to Florida after his third marriage and worked as a correctional officer for the Florida Department of Corrections.

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General Hospital continues on ABC

While Jay North's role on General Hospital was brief, the long-running daily soap continues to air on ABC every weekday. The show, which premiered in April 1963, presents interpersonal relationships among residents of the fictional town of Port Charles against the backdrop of the titular medical facility.

The current plot dynamics showcase multiple story arcs troubling the town's residents. On one hand, Congressman Drew Caine is busy taking revenge on his former friend, Curtis Ashford, by trying to jeopardize its Esplanade project. For that, he is blackmailing Curtis's wife, Portia Robinson, with a professional secret. On the other hand, he is battling the influential Quartermaine family.

Meanwhile, mobster Jenz Sidwell is trying to settle down in Port Charles by buying property and doing business with Deception. However, his secrets are yet to be revealed to his business rival, Sonny Corinthos, who is battling heart issues besides personal and familial enemies.

Elsewhere, Sonny's daughter, Kristina Corinthos, caused Ric Lansing and Elizabeth Webber's accident by mistakenly tampering with their vehicle while wanting to take revenge on Ava Jerome. All these mysteries are waiting to be unraveled in the upcoming episodes of the soap.

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Continue watching ABC to catch the latest episodes of General Hospital.