General Hospital alum Joe Marinelli passes away at 68

Joe Marinelli, who played Joseph Sorel on General Hospital, passed away on June 22, 2025. At the time of his death, he was 68 years old. While he was struggling with health issues for a long time, he continued to work till 2023. His last project was The Morning Show, a popular title on Apple TV+. The deceased actor is survived by his musician wife, Jean, and two sons, Vincent and David.

Joe Marinelli was part of the General Hospital cast for two years, between 1999 and 2001. He appeared in about 14 episodes of the ABC daily soap and was positioned as an adversary of the town's lovable mob boss, Sonny Corinthos.

As a mobster, his character, Joseph Sorel, had a rivalry with Sonny. Sorel was finally killed off in 2001 by Angel Ellis, his daughter. Angel's dislike for her father's profession heightened after he killed her husband, Donnie.

However, when Sorel stabbed Sonny, Angel nursed the victim back to health while finishing off her father in secret. Angel caused Joe Marinelli's Sorel to die by turning off his respirator.

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A glance at Joe Marinelli, General Hospital's Joseph Sorel

Joe Marinelli was born in Connecticut in January 1957. He studied at Loyola Marymount University in California and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. While his acting career started with theatre productions, 1984 saw him appear in a primetime show, Cagney & Lacey. He followed this up with Paper Dolls, Hill Street Blues, LA Law, and Stingray.

In 1988, he landed his most famous role as Bunny Tagliatti on Santa Barbara. He played the award-winning character till 1990. Besides playing mobster Sorel on General Hospital, Joe Marinelli made brief appearances in numerous shows and series over his 39-year-long acting career.

Some of the notable titles featuring Joe Marinelli are DEA, Equal Justice, They Came from Outer Space, Guiding Light, ER, NYPD Blue, The West Wing, The Practice, House, Castle, Parenthood, Desperate Housewives, Ray Donovan, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Lethal Weapon, and Hollywood.

His last project was The Morning Show, a show within a show. Joe Marinelli played the show's director, Donny Spagnoli. He had actors Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston as his co-actors, playing television show hosts. The Apple TV+ show won the SAG award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in 2022.

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Meanwhile, unexpected twists continue on General Hospital

Maurice Benard's Sonny Corinthos continues to be the central mob boss in his town. Currently, he faces the danger of being usurped by mobster-turned-businessman, Jenz Sidwell. The soap's spoilers suggest Sonny will receive shocking news soon, which may leave him shaken.

Meanwhile, Michael deals with the news that Willow wants to wed Drew. In his personal life, Michael is managing his children and Sasha's baby, who is being targeted by an unknown assailant. However, he is unaware that Sidwell bought the judge to rule in his favor.

Elsewhere in town, Kristina is busy avenging her mother's blackmail by paying Cody to seduce Ava Jerome. Incidentally, Elizabeth has cautioned her against more crimes, since she will send her to prison. However, Alexis will go to any extent to shield her daughter.

On the other hand, Professor Dalton's secret mission has many PC residents after him. Meanwhile, Emma vows to stop his animal testing, while WSB has tasked Josslyn to protect his work. Finding the Professor's character questionable, Anna assigned Jason to look into him. Jason's sleuthing will likely land him in line with Josslyn and Emma in the upcoming episodes.

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Continue catching the latest on General Hospital as the soap airs on ABC every weekday and streams on Hulu.