‘General Hospital’ star says goodbye to Los Angeles after 35 years with cross-country move
“General Hospital” star Rena Sofer is saying goodbye to Los Angeles after 35 years in the city.
In a video posted to Instagram last week, the 56-year-old actress shared that she and her husband, Sanford Bookstaver, are leaving LA and moving to New York City with their five dogs.
The Instagram video features the couple standing in front of their former home and saying their final goodbye to the city, with Bookstaver sharing they are “off to New York.” Sofer then begins singing Billy Joel’s hit song, “New York State of Mind,” before getting a little emotional about the move.
“We’ve been in LA for almost 35 years and now it’s time for me and @sbookstaver to go,” she wrote in the caption. “No one better than Billy Joel to create the perfect soundtrack to our dreams! Yes I’m getting emotional. I met and had my children in LA met the man of my dreams and created an incredible life there.”
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“I had amazing success in the Biz and made all my lifelong friends who I will miss desperately,” she continued. “Most of all my BFF @arinacabral and my Brother @davidsofer53 !!! Thank you LA for being you. And now on to quieter and calmer times. Leave it to a leaf blower to finish this post, there is nothing more la!!”
She concluded her caption with: “Now we are off in our @rivianofficial with our 5 dogs in the back to our new life!!! #saygoodbyetohollywood.”
Sofer began starring in “General Hospital” as Lois Cerullo in 1993, staying on the show until 1997, ultimately winning a Daytime Emmy Award in 1995 for her role as a supporting actress on the show.
She returned to the show in 2023, and although she is moving across the country, a source close to the actress told E! News that “There has not been a conversation about her leaving the show.”
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Bookstaver and Sofer first tied the knot in 2003 and welcomed their daughter, Avalon, in 2005, before getting divorced in 2017. The couple later rekindled their romance in 2019 and got remarried in 2024.
The couple celebrated their first and 22nd wedding anniversary in May 2024, with Sofer posting a split of their first and second wedding days, writing in the caption, “Happy 1/22 wedding anniversary to the LOML!!!”
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She added, “Married 22 years ago and RE married 1 year ago! What a beautiful and special journey we’ve been on!! So excited for our next step! BIG MOVE!! I wouldn’t want anyone but you @sbookstaver by my side!!! I love you endlessly.”
Sofer is also a parent to one daughter, Rosabel Rosalind Kurth, whom she shares with ex-husband Wallace Kurth.
