So long, Dr. Austin Gatlin-Holt.
Roger Howarth has officially said goodbye to General Hospital, his on-and-off home since 2012. His character was fatally shot in the Nov. 17 installment of the ABC sudser.
Howarth let fans know via Instagram that his days in Port Charles are over. Fans had been speculating for weeks that his character may be written off the show.
“Three things that I know for sure,” writes Howarth. “1, Daytime fans are lovely and amazing and supportive and dedicated and I am deeply grateful to each sparkly one of them. 2, I enjoyed my time at general hospital and wish the cast and crew the best and continued success. It was a pleasure working with you all. 3, Life is amazing. We just don’t ever know what’s gonna happen. How great! Turn toward the light. Always. Huge thank you to you all.”
In an interview with Soap Opera Digest, Howarth said his contract was up and he was not offered a new one. “Several weeks ago, I got a phone call from somebody I’ve known for a very long time who I love very dearly [Executive Producer Frank Valentini] telling me that when my contract was up at ABC, I would not be offered a new contract and that the character of Austin would be killed, and that this was something that both wanted and needed to do to move story. And it took me a minute to kind of adjust, to kind of hear the news; it took a second for me to let that settle in. And then, immediately, I realized how lucky I was to have been able to do something I really love doing for more than a decade with people who I really enjoyed working with. I’m a lucky guy. I had a great run and this was a decision made by people who make these kinds of decisions for a living.”
Howarth has long been a fixture in daytime. Before joining GH, Howarth played Todd Manning on One Life to Live. Before that, he appeared on As the World Turns, Guiding Light and Loving.
His primetime credits included stints on Californication, The Flash, and Dawson’s Creek.
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