'General Hospital's' Luke and Laura divorcing

(CNN) -- It's the end of an era on "General Hospital." Or is it?

Luke and Laura Spencer (played by Anthony Geary and Genie Francis), who once captured the public's imagination with their improbable reunion on "General Hospital" in 1983, are making their divorce official on Monday's episode of the ABC soap opera.

Luke, the network's "General Hospital" site says, will sign the papers handed to him by Laura

Of course, judging by the couple's history and the fact that this is a soap opera, there's no telling if the divorce will stick.

Fans of the show remember all too clearly the romantic -- and at times odd -- intrigue of Luke and Laura's relationship.

Laura first realized her love for Luke when he forced himself on her at a disco in 1979. They wed in 1981. When Laura disappeared for a year, fans theorized that it was the result of Luke's ties to organized crime, or Laura's ties to a Canadian cult.

In truth, Laura had been kidnapped and forced to marry the evil Stavros Cassadine.

Regardless, her return to the soap, and to the open arms of Luke, in 1983 brought "General Hospital" to "soap phenomenon" status, as Luke and Laura adorned the covers of entertainment magazines, and their theme song -- Christopher Cross's "Think of Laura" -- was a top-ten hit.

But in soaps, where happiness is the stuff of poor ratings, Luke and Laura apparently haven't been able to work around difficult times, which include Laura revealing that while she was held hostage by Stavros, she had his baby, who has since reunited with her.

But the divorce -- and Monday's show -- apparently won't be a heated affair. The network's Web site says the couple will take time to "remember their past together."