Sonya Eddy: 5 Things To Know About ‘General Hospital’ Star Who Died From Surgery Complications At 55

The soap opera star died at 55 years old on Dec. 19, and her cause of death was revealed just one day later. Find out more about the late actress here.

• Sonya Eddy was an actress, best known for ‘General Hospital.’
• She was also a registered nurse in real life.
• She died at 55 on Monday after developing an infection after a non-emergency surgery

Sonya Eddy died on Monday, December 19. The actress was 55 years old. Sonya’s death was announced by her friend, Oscar-winning actress Octavia Spencer on Tuesday, 20. “My friend Sonya Eddy passed away last night. The world lost another creative angel. Her legions of General Hospital fans will miss her,” she wrote on Instagram. “My thoughts and prayers are with her loved ones, friends, and fans!” Find out more about Sonya here.

Her cause of death was confirmed by a friend via TMZ on Dec. 21, who explained that Sonya developed an infection after non-emergency surgery on Dec. 9. After being discharged on Dec. 11, she returned on Dec. 15, and was placed on life support by Dec. 19 before sadly passing away. Find out more about Sonya here.

1. Sonya was in over 500 episodes of ‘General Hospital’

While Sonya has appeared in a wide variety of different projects, she was most prolific for her appearances on the beloved, long-running soap opera General Hospital. She began appearing on the show as Ephiphany Johnson in 2006 and starred in 543 episodes, until her death. In 2021, she was nominated for Favorite General Hospital Actress at the SoapHub awards, per IMDb.

2. She had roles in various TV shows and some movies

While she was a regular on General Hospital, she did branch into a few other shows and films. She notably had a role in the TruTV series Those Who Can’t, appearing in 31 out of 35 episodes. She also appeared in five episodes of the sitcom Fresh Off The Boat. She also made one-off appearances in the comedies Pen15 and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Some of her movie credits include V/H/S 99 and Pee Wee’s Big Holiday.

3. She was also a nurse in real-life

Besides being involved in a medical soap opera, Sonya had some real-life medical experience. She was a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN), according to Soap Opera Digest. While it’s not clear how long or if Sonya was a practicing nurse, she did reveal that she was studying to be a psychologist in college in a November interview with Stone Cold And The Jackal.

4. She appeared in theatrical productions

Like many other actors, Sonya appeared in a number of live stage shows besides her film work. She starred in the West Coase premiere of the play Zora is My Name. She also performed in productions of The Comedy of Errors, The Crucible, and Into The Woods.

5. She studied at UC Davis

Sonya received her degree from the University of California Davis. She studied theater and dance, even though she started as a psychology major. She opened up about why she changed to acting in the aforementioned interview. “pent a lot of time in the green room in the theatre department observing people. I found these folks, who seemed to easily just become someone else, fascinating from a psychological point of view.  I took a History of Black Theatre course and it involved an oral presentation.  My professor pulled me aside and told me that, with a voice like mine, I should be on stage,” she said, explaining the conversation with the professor inspired her to do a stage show, which led to her career in entertainment.