Gloria Monty, the executive producer of the ABC soap opera “General Hospital” who made the characters Luke and Laura global icons, died Thursday of cancer in Rancho Mirage, Calif.

Ms. Monty took over the reins of “General Hospital” in 1978, at a time when the show was struggling. During her 10 years on “GH” she updated the look of the soap opera, added more adventurous, even outrageous, story lines and introduced younger characters, including Luke and Laura Spencer, the first of a series of “super-couples” that helped define the show.

“In the late 1970s, Gloria Monty transformed soap opera viewing from a housewives’ pastime to ‘the’ cool thing to do,” veteran “GH” actress Jane Elliot said in a release. “As I was a beneficiary of that transformation, I will be eternally grateful and will miss her terribly. I can’t wait to see what she does with heaven.”

Funeral arrangements are private. Ms. Monty is survived by her sister Norma.