She was a trailblazer both on and off screen, best known for her iconic role as Dr. Lesley Webber — one of the first female doctors on daytime television.

Now, soap opera legend Denise Alexander, beloved star of General Hospital and Days of Our Lives, has passed away.

Soap opera legend Denise Alexander, best known for playing Laura’s mother Lesley on General Hospital, has died at 85, according to Soap Opera Digest.

Alexander’s rise to fame began in 1966 when she joined NBC’s Days of Our Lives as Susan Martin. Her time on the show also led to a lasting romance — she married her co-star Richard Colla, and the two remained together until his passing in 2021.

In 1973, she made headlines in the soap world by leaving Days and making a bold move to ABC’s General Hospital, where she would go on to become one of the show’s most beloved stars.

Denise Alexander was no stranger to the spotlight from a young age. Born in New York City on November 11, 1939, and raised on Long Island, she eventually moved to Los Angeles when her father, Alec Alexander — a talent agent representing stars like Frank Gorshin and Sal Mineo — relocated the family to the West Coast.