'General Hospital' Star Sonya Eddy's Cause Of Death Revealed

Sonya Eddy's friend gave an update about her condition before she died Monday.

Eddy's close friend, Tyler Ford, told TMZ that the actress had a scheduled surgery on Dec. 9. It was reportedly a non-emergency surgery, and she was released from the hospital two days later, on Dec. 11.

However, she reportedly got ill again and returned to the hospital on Dec. 15. The doctors discovered that she had developed a serious infection.

According to Ford, the infection was uncontainable, and doctors told him Monday morning she would be placed on life support. The "General Hospital" star passed away Monday evening. She was 55.

Her "GH" family, celebrity pals and fans mourned her passing after ABC confirmed the sad news.

"'General Hospital' is sad to confirm the passing of actress Sonya Eddy, who embodied her character ... the tough but compassionate, head nurse, Epiphany Johnson ... and immediately became a fan favorite and beloved member of our 'GH' family when she joined the show in 2006," ABC said in a statement to Page Six.

Executive producer Frank Valentini also told the outlet that he was "heartbroken about the loss of the incredible Sonya Eddy." According to Valentini, he loved the actress as a friend.

"The lights in the hub of the nurses' 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."

Eddy's celebrity pals and fans paid tribute to her on social media. Octavia Spencer also shared the news of her passing on Instagram Tuesday.

"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!" she wrote in a post with Eddy's photo.

Eddy's "General Hospital" co-stars Kathleen Gati, Jon Lindstrom, Jacklyn Zeman and Eden McCoy also took to Twitter after learning about her death. They also extended their condolences to her family.

"I am in shock and disbelief and heartbroken to hear about the passing of my friend #sonyaeddy. We shared many good laughs and I always enjoyed working with her. Condolences to her family, friends, colleagues and fans. She will be missed. May she R.I.P," Gati tweeted.

"God bless you, Sonya, in heaven. You are loved by so many. You were always an inspiration. So talented and so very special. I will miss your beautiful shining presence," Zeman added.

"Her smile could power a reactor. I loved the few times we worked together, but I REALLY loved the times we would talk about life, meditation [and] acting. She was a gift [and] she is missed already. Condolences to her loved ones," Lindstrom wrote.

Eddy joined the ABC soap opera in 2006. She played the role of Epiphany Johnson, a no-nonsense head nurse and Stan Johnson's mother.