'General Hospital' Star Leslie Charleson's Cause of Death Revealed

Leslie Charleson -- the soap opera legend who appeared in more than 2,000 episodes of "General Hospital" -- died from blunt head trauma ... though, it appears the injury didn't happen recently.

According to documents, obtained by TMZ ... Charleson died from "sequelae of blunt head trauma" -- basically the long-term effects of a head injury she suffered.

It's unclear when she sustained the injury ... though we do know several falls in recent years prevented her from appearing on "General Hospital."

Listed among the other significant medical conditions ... the L.A. County medical examiner notes Leslie had a history of asthma, arthritis, atrial fibrillation, and normal pressure hydrocephalus -- a condition where cerebrospinal fluid builds up in the brain, according to Johns Hopkins.

As we told you ... Leslie passed away on January 12 -- with reports saying she died after a long battle with an illness.

Charleson's big break came in 1977 when she took over the role of Monica Bard from actress Patsy Rahn on 'GH.' Between 1977 and 2023, Leslie appeared in 2,079 episodes of the hit show.

She also appeared in episodes of "Mannix," "The Wild Wild West," "Marcus Welby, M.D.," "Happy Days," "Cannon," and "Barnaby Jones."

Leslie was 79.