Soap opera star, Sonya Eddy, has passed away at the age of 55. The actress was known for her role as head nurse Epiphany Johnson in General Hospital.
Actress Octavia Spencer broke the news via an Instagram post Tuesday. “My friend @sonyaeddy passed away last night,” she said int he post. “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!”
Executive producer of the hit soap opera, Frank Valentini, took to Twitter to share the news as well. “I am heartbroken about the loss of the incredible @TheRealSonyaEd, the tweet read. “I truly loved her not only as 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.”
The cause of death still remains unknown. Sonya Eddy was one of the longest running cast members on the show since the show premiered in 2006. Her character was a no-nonsense head nurse who was the mother of the late Stan Johnson, who became involved with the mob. She appeared in 543 episodes in her recurring role. She has previously mentioned how important the role was to her as she was a licensed vocational nurse.
Eddy was born in Concord, California. She majored in Theatre and Dance at University of California, Davis and received her B.A. in 1992. Aside from General Hospital Eddy appeared in several beloved series. Her first step into television was on The Drew Carrey Show. She also appeared in episodes of Seinfeld, Glee, Castle and more. Earlier this year she played opposite Samuel L. Jackson in Apple TV+’s The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey.
Before getting her start in television, Eddy was a theater actor. She starred in several shows, one being a production of Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods as the Witch.