Soap Opera Star Sonya Eddy, A Concord Native, Dead At 55

CONCORD, CA — Soap opera star Sonya Eddy, best known for her role as head nurse Epiphany Johnson on “General Hospital,” died Monday. She was 55.

Eddy died after developing an infection following a non-emergency surgery earlier in December, according to TMZ.

“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,” General Hospital Executive Producer Frank Valentini tweeted Tuesday.

Eddy was born in Concord and graduated from the University of California at Davis, according to her biography on the Internet Movie Database. In addition to playing the no-nonsense nurse Johnson in more than 500 episodes of “General Hospital” since 2006, Eddy had recurring roles on many shows, including “ER,” “Seinfeld” and “Fresh Off the Boat,” according to the database.

“The world lost another creative angel,” actress Octavia Spencer, a friend of Eddy’s, posted on Instagram.

News of Eddy’s death shook the “General Hospital” community.

“I am in shock and disbelief and heartbroken to hear about the passing of my friend,” tweeted Kathleen Gati, who has played Dr. Liesl Obrecht on the show since 2012. “We shared many good laughs and I always enjoyed working with her. Condolences to her family, friends, colleagues and fans. She will be missed.”