Dubbed ‘Daytime’s Leading Lady,’ actress Susan Lucci has had an astounding career as an actress and a TV host. Her role of Erica Kane in the ABC daytime drama All My Children is one of the most famous there are and the character is considered iconic.
In 1996, TV Guide ranked Lucci number 37 on its 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time list.
The Devious Made star was also named one of VH1’s 200 Top Icons of All Time and one of Barbara Walters’s Ten Most Fascinating People.
Unfortunately, Lucci has faced health challenges in recent years. In 2018, she underwent emergency heart surgery after doctors discovered a severe blockage in her arteries that could have led to a fatal heart attack.
She had been experiencing concerning symptoms, including shortness of breath, chest pain, and pressure—warning signs she couldn’t ignore. A hospital visit and CT scan revealed a 90% blockage in her heart’s main artery and a 70% blockage in another branch
Susan Lucci revealed during an interview that she had underwent a second emergency cardiac surgery.
This time her symptoms were less severe, but just as the first time, she noticed them on time.
Speaking of her health state, Dr. Richard Shlofmitz, chairman of cardiology at St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn, New York, told Good Morning America, “This time, she wasn’t experiencing a heart attack and she wasn’t mentally disturbed. However, she displayed symptoms that made me worry that something could be amiss.”
If she hadn’t experienced the symptoms on time, she could have easily suffered severe heart attack.
Two months after undergoing a procedure in January 2022, Lucci faced another heartbreaking challenge—the passing of her husband, Helmut Huber, at age 84.
“After that, nothing else seemed to matter—not my health or anything else,” she admitted. “I just didn’t care.”
Despite the immense loss, she remains determined to move forward. “I lost the love of my life, and it’s been awful,” she shared. “But I have friends who make me laugh, keep me going, and remind me to take things one step at a time.”
The truth is that not every cardiac condition has observable symptoms because not everyone feels it in the chest.
Lucci decided to open up about her health and the issues she had experienced because she wanted to encourage other women to be proactive about their health.
“Listen to your heart and act on it. Be your own best friend, your own advocate—you could save your life,” Lucci advised. “I feel incredibly fortunate to have this platform, and I wanted to use it for more than just entertainment.”
In 2019, she took to the runway at the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women Red Dress Collection, using her voice to raise awareness for heart health.
Lucci is thankful to her doctors for saving her life.
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