For more than 16 years, Sonya Eddy portrayed the role of Nurse Epiphany Johnson on “General Hospital” and its short-lived spinoff, “General Hospital: Night Shift.” Sadly, the actress unexpectedly passed away in December following complications related to a minor surgery. Now, for the first time, she’s being recognized for her work on the soap opera, receiving a posthumous Daytime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Daytime Drama Series: Actress.
Announced this afternoon, Eddy is nominated alongside Krista Allen (“The Bold and the Beautiful”), Stacy Haiduk (“Days of our Lives”), Brook Kerr (“General Hospital”) and Kelly Thiebaud (“General Hospital”).
Eddy previously received recognition for her role on “General Hospital” in 2021 when she was nominated for a Soap Hub Award in the Favorite General Hospital Actress category. In 2017, she received a Houston Comedy Film Festival award nomination for her role as a nurse in the short film “Oh Baby.”
Shortly after learning of Eddy’s passing in December, “General Hospital” executive producer Frank Valentini took to Twitter, saying, “I am heartbroken about the loss of the incredible @TheRealSonyaEd. 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.” He added, “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.”
In March, the soap aired a special episode dedicated to the actress in which her character’s commitment to helping others is highlighted by her friends and closest colleagues and by a stranger played by Eddy’s real-life friend Yvette Nicole Brown (“Community”). In the March 29 episode, it was revealed that Eddy’s character died shortly after rescuing a woman (played by Brown) from a car crash when the fumes from the accident provoked Epiphany’s existing heart condition.
In an interview with TV Insider, Brown spoke highly of her beloved friend, saying, “Sonya was one of the most real people I knew. If she loved you, you knew it. If she didn’t…she could still work with you. She didn’t suffer fools gladly. She had a heart as big as the moon. She was honest. She understood this industry in a way that most people don’t. She navigated things with grace. She gave great advice with a listening ear. She was the first person I’d go to if something was bothering me. I knew she wouldn’t judge me and she’d help me through it.”
Taking place at the Westin Bonaventure in Los Angeles, “The 50th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards” is set to air LIVE on Friday, June 16 at 9:00 p.m. ET/delayed PT. The telecast will also be available to stream live and On Demand on Paramount+*.
*Paramount+ Premium subscribers will have access to stream live via the live feed of their local CBS affiliate on the service and On Demand. Essential-tier subscribers will have access to On Demand the day after the special airs.