Former GH Scribe Norma Monty Has Died

One-time GENERAL HOSPITAL headwriter Norma Monty — sister of the soap’s late, legendary executive producer Gloria Monty — has passed away. According to her obituary from the New Jersey funeral home handling her burial services, Monty died on July 3 at the age of 86 in Reno, NV.

A New Jersey native, Monty spent over two decades as an English teacher before switching careers and moving to California where she worked as an associate producer under her sister on GH. Soon becoming headwriter of the soap, Monty went on to receive three Daytime Emmy Award nominations during her tenure. Together, the sisters created one of daytime’s most legendary supercouples in a plot twist that paired good girl Laura Webber with bad boy Luke Spencer… and had them fall in love after he raped her. Among the other characters the Monty sisters created were John Stamos‘ Blackie Parrish and Jack Wagner‘s Frisco Jones.

When Soaps In Depth contacted Stamos to share his memories of the woman who created his legendary character, the actor had nothing but kind words to say. “Norma Monty created Blackie Parrish — and in a sense created John Stamos,” the actor tells In Depth exclusively. “I will always credit GH as the reason I have a career. I learned a tremendous amount from Gloria Monty, but it was Norma who hired me. As the story goes, Norma was a teacher and had a troubled kid in her class named Blackie “Clarish.” She modeled my character after him. God bless Norma. And the real Blackie, where ever you are.”

Upon her retirement, Monty split her time between Rumson, NJ, and Rancho Mirage, CA, and was actively involved in numerous charities and country clubs in both locations. Her sister Gloria passed away in 2006. Monty is survived by an aunt and a cousin.