Susan Lucci doesn't seem to age. This week the soap opera actress looked sensational on the red carpet at 76 years old.
The diva wowed at the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women Red Dress Collection concert in New York City.
She wore a scarlet red strapless dress that fell to the waist and had a mermaid hem.
“Sharing my heart's story at yesterday's beautiful GO Red for Women luncheon at Tavern On The Green!” “Such passionate leaders and survivors – it's so inspiring to hear their stories!❤️❤️❤️,” she wrote on Instagram on Friday.
She then said it was all about “women helping women.”
Mira Sorvino and Demi Lovato were also present at the event.
Susan Lucci doesn't seem to age. This week the soap opera actress looked sensational on the red carpet at 76 years old
The diva wowed at the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women Red Dress Collection concert in New York City
One night in January, discomfort radiated into her chest. She was out of breath. Something was definitely wrong.
But it was late in the evening and she didn't want to bother her doctor. At first she didn't even tell her husband. She went to bed.
“I just wanted to let it all go,” Lucci told the AHA. “Then I felt a sharp pain in the left side of my jaw. I had read that it can also be a symptom in women when a heart attack occurs. It really woke me up.'
At her husband's urging, she finally called her cardiologist at home. He didn't hesitate.
“He said, ‘I’ll meet you in the emergency room. Call me when you’re nearby,” she said.
That morning, she had a stent implanted in a coronary artery that was 80% blocked, potentially preventing a serious heart attack.
“You can never really say how quickly it could have happened, but certainly within a year,” said Dr. Richard Shlofmitz, chairman of cardiology at St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn, New York. He diagnosed the problem and performed the procedure. “It's like putting a tree trunk in a river and a few branches get stuck. It just builds up.”
Years earlier, the actress had her first cardiovascular attack when doctors discovered that two other arteries were blocked, one 90% and the other 75%.
Lucci had ignored the increasing symptoms for several weeks until she was finally hospitalized with severe chest pains. Two stents – small wire mesh tubes that widen clogged arteries and ensure adequate blood flow to the heart – quickly fixed the problem and likely saved her life.
“Life returned to normal very quickly,” said the actress, who lives on Long Island in New York. “I was on stage two days after I was released and life continued to be wonderful.”
Here she was seen playing with a small dog on the red carpet
In December, she honored her late husband by accepting her Lifetime Achievement Award at the Daytime Emmy Awards in New York.
The actress, best known for her role as Erica Kane on the long-running soap opera “All My Children,” began her speech by gushing that this was “the icing on the cake” as her and Susan Lucci's son Andreas, 36, stuck the audience.
“It means so much to me to have you here with me,” she said as she accepted the honor,” she told him from the stage. “I also feel your father’s presence here with us tonight.”
She continued: “I would like to thank my husband, Helmet Huber, because he was instrumental in ensuring that I stand here tonight and accept this incredible award.”
She wore a scarlet red strapless dress that fell to the waist and had a mermaid hem
“Sharing my heart's story at yesterday's beautiful GO Red for Women luncheon at Tavern On The Green!” “Such passionate leaders and survivors – it's so inspiring to hear their stories!❤️❤️❤️,” she wrote on Instagram on Friday. She then said it was all about “women helping women.” Mira Sorvino and Demi Lovato were also present at the event
Lucci's husband of almost 53 years died in March 2022 at the age of 84. The two met while both working at a hotel and got engaged after three weeks of dating. They tied the knot in September 1969.
She and the Austrian-born author and producer had two children, Andreas (36) and Liza (48).
Huber served as Lucci's manager for much of her career and was CEO of the production company Pine Valley Productions, named after the fictional town in which All My Children was set.
Lucci played Erica Kane starting in 1970 and continued to portray her courageous character until All My Children ended in 2011.
Erica was beloved by fans and Lucci was nominated for 19 Best Actress awards until she finally received one in 1999.
Shemar Moore, 53, who opened the envelope when Lucci finally received the long-awaited award, was there Friday to present her with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
“She has appeared in television series as well as films and on stage…she has been ranked as one of the 50 greatest television stars of all time and I couldn't agree more,” the SWAT star said.
When Lucci won in 1999, Moore excitedly announced, “The streak is over,” before calling her name.
Lucci was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 50th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards on December 15 in New York City
Lucci began her career as Erica Kane on “All My Children” in 1970. She continued to portray the “naughty girl about town” until the soap opera ended in 2011.
The actress met her husband of almost 53 years, Helmut Huber, when they both worked in a hotel. They became engaged after three weeks of dating, married in September 1969 and remained together until his death in 2022 at the age of 84 (pictured in New York in November 2017).
The couple had two children, Liza, 48, and Andreas, 36 (seen in Los Angeles in January 2005)
In her acceptance speech, Lucci said, “I thank my husband Helmet Huber, because he has everything to do with me standing here tonight accepting this incredible award.” (Pictured in New York in February 2020)
A tribute video included clips of her two children, All My Children alums Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, her pal Andy Cohen, and 90-year-old Carol Burnett, who appeared several times on the series as different characters.
As she accepted her statuette, the veteran actress, who looked stunning in a strapless orange and silver dress, told the audience: “How lucky I am to be able to dream my dream of becoming an actress and grow up and have my dreams come true “There were obstacles and roadblocks – they were would-be obstacles and roadblocks – but tonight is a night to celebrate.”
When she accepted her award in 1999, Lucci recalled, she began her speech “by thanking God for the many blessings. Tonight I’ll start it all over again, starting with my parents for their love.”
“I thank them for the example they set for me,” she continued, “for telling me I could shoot for the moon and the stars and never be afraid.”
She also thanked her teachers for “giving me the tools to be the kind of actress I wanted to be” and paid tribute to “All My Children” creator Agnes Nixon, who died in 2016.
Shemar Moore, who opened the envelope when Lucci finally won her only Daytime Emmy in 1999, was there Friday to present the Lifetime Achievement Award
“She was a trailblazer, a visionary storyteller who gave me the role of a lifetime, the fabulously flawed Erica Kane,” who Lucci called the “sassy girl in town” and said, “She had guts.”
Of course, without the fans, Erica wouldn't have had such a long life in TV land, and the beloved actress thanked them for their support.
“I'm eternally grateful to the fans for loving Erica Kane even when she wasn't that lovable,” she continued. “Thanks to them, I was able to play them again and again.”
Fans can stream the Daytime Emmy Awards on CBS.com or Paramount+