General Hospital's Tabyana Ali pays tribute to her uncle after his death

On General Hospital, Trina Robinson has been having a good time lately. Her relationship with Kai Taylor (Jens Austin Astrup) is in full bloom as he recovers from his spinal surgery. Meanwhile, she has no idea that her parents, Curtis and Portia, are sleeping in separate bedrooms because of their conflict over Drew Cain and his blackmail of Portia.

Trina has also reunited on General Hospital with her grandfather, Marshall Ashford (Robert Gossett), who recently came back from his music tour with Wynton Marsalis to visit his family in Port Charles. She also has her Aunt Stella (Vernee Watson) around to give her advice.

While Trina has plenty of wise counsel in her circle, her portrayer, Tabyana Ali, is currently mourning a beloved mentor figure in her life.

General Hospital's Tabyana Ali shares a family loss

Ali posted on Instagram that her Uncle “Ricky” had passed away. The General Hospital star included two pictures of her and her uncle that were taken at an event January 13, 2024 in her hometown of San Antonio. According to a sign in one of the pictures, Ali, who is a published author of two children’s books, was the featured artist at the MLK Foundation Authors Summit, and her uncle was there supporting her and beaming with pride.

Ali wrote a heartwarming tribute to him in her Instagram, saying in part “Uncle Ricky was the embodiment of unconditional love—and he continues to be, even in his transition home…He lived soulfully, honestly, and joyfully, even during his darkest days. As hard and as uncomfortable as it is to accept that he’s no longer here with us physically, I know he’s still with us in spirit—laughing, joking, and feeling all the love we’re sending him…I’m my Uncle Ricky’s shadow, walking in the light of his footsteps.

General Hospital castmates sent their condolences to her on the post. Jacqueline Grace Lopez (Blaze) responded, “Beautifully said. Sending you and yours love.” Brooke Anne Smith (ex-Molly) said, in part: “I hope you are surrounded by support and love during this time. ❤️‍🩹 Much love friend.”

Tabyana Ali of General Hospital

The multi-talented Ali does more than bring Trina to life onscreen on the show. Ali has published two children’s books. The second, My Super B, was released in 2023, and “it tells the story about an adventurous young superhero who achieves all of her wildest dreams, and her supportive mom is right there cheering her on every step of the way.’ The first one, My Flower Child, was released in October of 2020.

She starred in the film Empire Waist that came out in the fall of 2024, which also starred Rainn Wilson and Missy Pyle, and according to IMDB “follows a group of teens learning to love their bodies through inclusive fashion design and friendship.”

Trina and Joss showed off their vocal skills at the Nurses Ball | Image: ABC

On May 29, she performed on stage with several other soap stars in the Daytime at Night benefit concert that raised money for St. Jude. Before that, she showed off her vocal chops at the General Hospital Nurses Ball, performing a ballad with Eden McCoy (Josslyn Jacks) that they wrote together.

No doubt, Ali has been inspired by her Uncle Ricky throughout her life and will keep his memory alive while she continues to succeed. We wish her all the best as she mourns her uncle.

Catch Tabyana Ali on General Hospital weekdays on ABC and Hulu.