"All My Children" ends after 41 years

(CBS) After four decades in Pine Valley, "All My Children" has come to an end.

The long-running soap opera aired its final episode on Friday, ending the show's 41-year run.

Pictures: Susan Lucci
Pictures: Stars who began on soaps

The finale finished with a cliffhanger: It ended with most of the show's characters gathered at the Chandler house for a party. J.R. lurked outside with a gun and fired it when the screen went black.

Whether anyone was shot could still be revealed - ABC licensed the show to production company Prospect Park, which hopes to keep the show going online and on other "emerging platforms."

The series, which debuted in 1970, featured Susan Lucci as villain Erica Kane, and helped launch the careers of actors including Kelly Ripa and husband Mark Consuelos, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Josh Duhamel, Melissa Leo, Amanda Seyfried, Mischa Barton, Christian Slater and Michelle Trachtenberg.

ABC announced it was pulling the plug on the show back in April, along with the soap opera "One Life to Live," which will end its run in January.