Unfortunately, Deadline has just announced that beloved General Hospital actress Sonya Eddy, best known for her remarkably long run as head nurse Epiphany Johnson, passed away this week on Monday. She was 55.
Octavia Spencer (The Help, Hidden Figures), a longtime friend of Eddy, took to Instagram to announce the news of Eddy’s passing, though she did not reveal any details pertaining to her cause of death. In her poignant tribute message Spencer wrote: “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!”
Eddy joined General Hospital back in 2006 in a recurring role as Epiphany Johnson, the strict but compassionate head nurse at General Hospital who’s late son Stan Johnson formerly worked for mob kingpin Sonny Corinthos, played by Maurice Benard (Joy, All My Children). As written by Deadline, Eddy appeared in a grand total of 543 episodes of General Hospital; her final episode with the show aired on November 25, 2020. Eddy also made an appearance as a regular cast member on the spin-off series General Hospital: Night Shift from 2007 to 2008.
Throughout the years, Eddy has also appeared in numerous guest or recurring roles on dozens of television shows, including Murphy Brown, Seinfeld, Joan of Arcadia, Glee, Home Improvement, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Married…with Children, 2 Broke Girls, The Drew Carrey Show, PEN15, Fresh off the Boat, A Black Lady Sketch Show, The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, and Saved by the Bell: The New Class to name just a few.
An outpour of grief and sympathy from Eddy’s former coworkers and fans have appeared across social media, including General Hospital executive producer Frank Valentini (One Life to Live, ABC’s What If…) and Eddy’s fellow General Hospital actor Jon Lindstrom (Must Love Dogs, True Detective).