Is Sam really dead on General Hospital? Fate of the character explored

General Hospital brought one of its character storylines to a close last week when Sam McCall was written off the show. She passed away after collapsing mysteriously, and her ailment was diagnosed as an unexplained heart attack after she was pronounced dead. This took place right after Sam's liver surgery, which she was said to have recovered from.

She was bid goodbye by her loved ones, including Jason Morgan and her mother Alexis Davis. Her recent fiance Dante Falconeri was also informed of Sam's heart attack at the hospital. He felt heartbroken and mourned for his lost love.

This twist in the tale also marks the end of actress Kelly Monaco's 21-year stint as the character. Though her exit from the soap has been confirmed for a while, fans only recently realized that she would go out after surgery to donate parts of her liver to an ailing Lulu Spencer.

---

What happened to Sam McCall in General Hospital? Is she actually dead?

Yes, Sam McCall is now dead, as per the current storyline on General Hospital. Initially, she went through a difficult surgery where she had to donate parts of her liver to Lulu Spencer for her recovery. Contrary to the anxiety of her friends and family, Sam recuperated from her surgery well. She was even discharged from the hospital and went to meet Dante Falconeri.

Sam got engaged to Dante, and the two celebrated that they might be able to start a life and family together. However, shortly after this, Sam felt faint and collapsed. She lost consciousness and had to be brought back to the hospital. She was attended to by a team of doctors including Elizabeth Webber. However, they failed to revive Sam and had to pronounce her dead.

It was revealed that Sam passed away after a mysterious heart attack. The show has not explored the exact cause behind the heart attack yet. However, the past week has been an emotional one in Port Charles, as residents receive news of Sam's passing. Her former love Jason said a tear-filled goodbye to Sam, and her mother Alexis completely broke down when she realized her daughter was gone.

---

Why did they kill Sam off? Speculating on the reason behind the sudden removal of the character

Sam McCall and Alexis Davis in a still from General Hospital (via @generalhospitalabc / Instagram)

Many fans were taken by surprise after Sam's abrupt exit from General Hospital. On multiple social media platforms and previews, audiences raised the same question: "Why did they kill Sam off?"

The showrunners have not confirmed why the character was killed off or offered any insight into the cause of her passing. However, there has been much controversy surrounding the firing of actress Kelly Monaco, who essayed the role of Sam.

In a now-deleted comment from SoapHub, the actress gave some insight into how she felt her character was being treated and the possible reasons behind Sam's exit. She mentioned that after actor Billy Miller was let go from General Hospital in 2019, everything had started going downhill for her and her character Sam. She mentioned that the showrunners had dismantled Sam into a character neither she nor the fans could recognize. This comment was in response to an audience member speculating that Monaco was unhappy with the pay cut she was offered by the soap.

Additionally, in an Instagram post that the actress has now removed, she posted her last scene as Sam. Monaco captioned the post with "still doesn't make sense to me", which she took down shortly after.

---

Audiences can watch Kelly Monaco's last scenes as Sam McCall on General Hospital on ABC and Hulu. New episodes of the soap are released on all weekdays.