Stone was a major part of Sonny's life. He was his son, brother and friend, all rolled into one. Sonny was devastated when Stone revealed he had contracted the AIDS virus. He stayed by Stone's side until the bitter end. Through Stone, Sonny became close with Robin Scorpio, who was like a sister to him.

When Jason Quartermaine, the golden boy of Port Charles, suffered a major head trauma at the hands of his drunken brother AJ, a new persona emerged...Jason Morgan. He was too much for most people to handle, except for Sonny, who knew he'd be a perfect fit for the organization. Jason proved to be a loyal employee, and a friend that would stand by Sonny's side through many ordeals.

Despite still being in love with Brenda, Sonny agreed to marry Lily Rivera, in exchange for her father's help making RICO charges go away. In doing so, Sonny basically sold his soul to the devil (Rivera), and it came back to haunt him.

Sonny was planning to leave Lily to be with Brenda, but then found out Lily was carrying his child. That piece of news changed everything for Sonny, and he happily reconciled with his wife. But, her father had already gotten wind of Sonny's plans to run away with Brenda, and he arranged a hit. His plan went horribly wrong, and when Sonny's car exploded, Lily & his unborn child were inside. Sonny watched in horror as his family was destroyed before his eyes. To this day, the death of Lily and his first child still haunts him.

Sonny loved Brenda more than anything, but he knew she'd never be safe as long as she was with him. There was a price on his head for killing Hernando Rivera, and unless he got clear on his own, Brenda would always be at risk. He decided the only way to keep her from coming after him was to make her hate him. And the surest way to do that, was to leave her at the altar. He was successful, and Brenda was crushed. But she later came to realize that he left to save her, and the event proved to be one of the most generous things Sonny ever did for her. Also by leaving, Sonny got out of the mob life...leaving his entire organization in Jason Morgan's hands. But Jason would need his help before long.