Viewers who watched the November 17, episode of General Hospital were left with one heck of a Friday cliffhanger when Austin was left for dead, surrounded by a pool of blood, after having been shot three times. But since this is a soap, where sometimes the obviously dead aren’t dead, well, some fans were hoping that would be the case for Roger Howarth’s character. However, it wasn’t…

When news came Monday, November 20, that the character had in fact died and the actor had been let go from the soap, without getting a contract renewal, many were left devastated that Howarth would no longer be a mainstay in Port Charles. And his exit has affected others near and dear to him, including his co-star Maura West (Ava), who took to social media to leave a heartfelt message about her once leading man.

“Grateful for this man,” West began then went on to say, “Expert actor. So funny, smart as hell. Gentle. Creative and collaborative… supportive. Life giving. What’s better?”

Prior to that, back in October, Howarth shared a pic with West and stated, “Beautiful brave talent. Thank you, Maura,” to which West replied, “Love you, Roger!”

For those who don’t know, this isn’t the first time West and Howarth have worked together in daytime. The stars shared screen time when he played Paul Ryan on As the World Turns, where West spent over 15 years as Carly Snyder, and it’s a shame we won’t get to see them together anymore in Port Charles.

However, given that Howarth has appeared as three different characters on General Hospital, would you like to see him return as yet another? Share your thoughts in the comment section.