A close friend of the former “General Hospital” star told TMZ on Tuesday that Sonya Eddy died earlier this week after complications from a non-emergency surgery. A friend, Tyler Ford, said the 55-year-old actress went to the hospital on Dec. 9 for a planned procedure and came home on Dec. 11.
But the soap star got sick and returned to the hospital on December 15. Tyler says doctors discovered that Eddy had contracted an infection that could no longer be treated. She was put on life support on Monday morning and died that night.
The award-winning actress Octavia Spencer was the first person to tell the public that Eddy had died. “My friend @sonyaeddy passed away last night. The world lost another creative angel. Her legions of @generalhospitalabc fans will miss her,” the 52-year-old “Hidden Figures” star wrote on Instagram next to a professional headshot of her dead friend.
Here’s a post-Octavia Spencer shared on Instagram:-
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“My thoughts and prayers are with her loved ones, friends, and fans!” In a statement to Page Six, ABC said, “‘General Hospital’ is sad to confirm the passing of actress Sonya Eddy, who embodied her character … the tough but compassionate, head nurse, Epiphany Johnson … and immediately became a fan favorite and beloved member of our ‘GH’ family when she joined the show in 2006.”
In a separate statement, executive producer Frank Valentini said he was “heartbroken” about Sonya Eddy’s death because he loved her as a friend. “The lights in the hub of the nurses’ station will now be a little dimmer, but her spirit and light will live on in both the show and our set,” he said.
“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.” Since 2006, Eddy has played nurse Epiphany Johnson at “General Hospital.” She also played the part in “General Hospital: Night Shift,” a spinoff of the show.
The California native has also been in TV shows and movies like “Seinfeld,” “Patch Adams,” “Reba,” “Monk,” “Joan of Arcadia,” “CSI,” “Glee,” “Castle,” and “Fresh Off the Boat.” It looks like Eddy never got married and never had any kids.
