General Hospital alumn Shaun Cassidy recalls his last conversation with his late father, Jack Cassidy

General Hospital has had quite a few singer/actors on the show. In addition to Jack Wagner and Rick Springfield, former TV heartthrob Shaun Cassidy (The Hardy Boys) did a turn in Port Charles as singer Dusty Walker. Now, the singer-turned-television-writer/producer is recalling the last talk that he had with his father, the late Jack Cassidy.

General Hospital, sing out loud

Cassidy shot to overnight stardom after he debuted on the ABC mystery series, The Hardy Boys, as Joe Hardy. Parker Stevenson (Joel McCarthy, Falcon Crest), played Frank Hardy, Joe's older brother. The program debuted in January 1977. In a recent interview with Nostalgia Tonight with Joe Sibilia on AM 970 The Answer, Cassidy recalled the last conversation he had with his father, Jack, who died in a fire on December 12, 1976.

Shaun's turn as Dusty Walker on GH in 1987 isn't the ex-singer's only tie to soaps. His mother, Shirley Jones (The Partridge Family), played Colleen Brady, the sister of Shawn Brady (Frank Parker), on Days of our Lives in 2008.

Shaun's older half-brother was the late David Cassidy, who starred as Keith Partridge on The Partridge Family. Shaun's father was "wildly talented," according to Shaun. Jack was a Tony Award-winning actor, a Prime Time Emmy nominee, and he was known for a guest spot on Columbo in which his character tried (and failed, of course) to match wits with the trenchcoated detective, played by Peter Falk.

Shaun remembers the last time he saw his dad was after he was cast on The Hardy Boys by producer Glenn Larson, whom Shaun likens to mega TV series creator Aaron Spelling (Charlie's Angels, Dynasty, and Beverly Hills, 90210).

Shaun shared his hope that had his dad lived, they would have gotten closer and that "he would have been proud of me."

General Hospital, remembering Dusty Walker

Dusty was an old pal of Blackie Parrish (John Stamos), who runs afoul of the law. Frisco (Jack Wagner) helped Dusty get back on track and introduced him to his friends in Port Charles. Terry Brock (the late Robyn Bernard) convinced Dusty to audition for Tiffany Hill's (Sharon Wyatt) show. Later, Dustry became a singer at Duke's, the club owned by Ian Buchanan's character, Duke Lavery. After the death of Dusty's girlfriend, Elena (Rebecca Holden), Dusty left town.

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While Shaun still performs as a singer, the former General Hospital hunk is known for helming such TV series as New Amsterdam, Invasion, and Cold Case. He created the TV series American Gothic.

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