Veteran actress Sonya Eddy, best known for starring as Epiphany Johnson on the ABC soap opera “General Hospital”, has died at the age of 55, her manager confirmed.
No further information on her death was given.
“I am heartbroken about the loss of the incredible Sonya Eddy. I truly loved her not only as an actress, but as a friend. The lights in the hub of the nurse’s station will now be a little dimmer, but her spirit and light will live on in both the show and our set. On behalf of the entire GH cast and crew, we send our deepest sympathy to her family, friends and fans. She will be very missed” Frank Valentini, “General Hospital” executive producer, said in a statement.
A Concord, California native and former UC Davis theater student born in 1957, Eddy first joined the long-running hospital drama in 2006 as no-nonsense head nurse Epiphany Johnson, playing the role for 543 episodes and appearing in the show as recently as October. She also assumed the role of Epiphany for the show’s primetime spinoff, “General Hospital: Night Shift”, where she was upped as a main cast member during its short-lived run. In real life, Eddy was also a licensed vocational nurse.
Aside from her work in “General Hospital”, Eddy had appeared in several TV shows since the mid-90s, including “Murphy Brown,” “Seinfeld,” “ER,” “Felicity,” “Fresh Off the Boat” and “Pen15.”
She also played small parts in various films over the years, including in “Patch Adams,” “Matchstick Men” and “V/H/S/99.”
“She left an indelible imprint in every person that she touched, through the screen and off,” her producing partner at Eddy Ford Entertainment, Tylor Ford, said in a statement.
Fellow actress and close friend of Eddy Octavia Spencer posted her own tribute to the soap star on her Instagram account, writing, “My friend @sonyaeddy passed away last night. The world lost another creative angel. Her legions of @generalhospitalabc fans will miss her. My thoughts and prayers are with her loved ones, friends, and fans!”
Donations can be made to The Foundation of the National Student Nurses Association Inc. in honor of Sonya Eddy’s memory.
