Susan Lucci Shares Insights on Grace, Resilience, and Moving Forward in Life
Susan Lucci, the Emmy Award-winning actress renowned for her portrayal of Erica Kane on All My Children, is releasing her second memoir, La Lucci, this week. Celebrated as the enduring face of daytime television, Lucci is affectionately known as “La Lucci” and has starred in an impressive 1,755 episodes of the iconic soap opera.
This new memoir follows her 2011 bestseller, All My Life, offering an intimate exploration of “the art of moving forward.” In La Lucci, Lucci reflects on defining moments from her remarkable career and personal journey, blending humor and heartfelt narratives about love and loss, particularly highlighting her experience following the death of her husband. The book features a fan-driven chapter titled “Thank You for Asking,” where Lucci addresses recurring questions from her audience, creating an inspiring tribute to resilience and inner beauty.
In discussing the inspiration for her memoir, Lucci shared, “After my husband passed away, I was waking up in the middle of the night a lot, and things were just pouring out of me.” She reflects on the profound love she experienced during her husband’s final days, noting, “I felt so grateful and so lucky to have had a month of days—the month of March in 2022—to be with him in the hospital.” Lucci also revealed that her late friend and author, Nelson DeMille, encouraged her to embark on this writing journey, reinforcing her desire to connect with others through storytelling.
“Those things came together like a perfect—I’m not going to call it a storm—but it was a perfect start of the lining,” Lucci said about the convergence of events leading to her new book. “I wanted [Laura Morton], who wrote my first book with me, to write this one with me.”
Lucci recognized her growth as a storyteller over the past fifteen years, sharing, “I have found a voice that is much more candid.” She emphasized her goal of expressing herself more openly, stating, “It was a goal of mine just for myself to reach a more candid way of speaking.”
Lucci believes in the power of storytelling to foster connection, saying, “I wanted to do that in the hopes that they won’t feel so alone, because it can make you feel so alone.” She opted against including any overt lessons in the book, explaining, “I didn’t want any teachable moments in this book. I’m just going to tell my story, some of which I have never told before.”
She likens her memoir to a novel where readers fill in their own experiences, saying, “Part of us is reading it and enjoying it for what it is. Part of us is filling in our own blanks.” Lucci also emphasized the importance of discipline, particularly in her self-care routines, stating, “No matter how late I come home or how really over it I am, I do it.”
In connection with February being Heart Month, Lucci shares her role as an ambassador for the American Heart Association. Reflecting on her own heart event in 2018, she highlighted her commitment to raising awareness about heart health. “It’s very gratifying to know that I was able to get my story out there,” Lucci expressed, noting the impact her experiences seemed to have had on both women and men.
She urges women to prioritize their health, warning, “Put yourself on your to-do list,” and encouraging them to take action if their bodies signal anything unusual. Lucci concluded with a reminder about the importance of self-care, echoing, “Just take good care of yourself. It’s important.”
