NEWSSusan Lucci Says She's 'Looking for Joy Again' 4 Years After Her Husband of 52 Years Died: 'I Was Completely Lost'
Susan Lucci opened up about grief and finding joy again nearly four years after losing her husband of 52 years.
Jan. 28 2026, Published 12:30 p.m. ET
Nearly four years after the death of her husband of 52 years, Helmut Huber, Susan Lucci is slowly finding her way back to joy.
The All My Children star, 79, said grief no longer defines her every day, but she still feels the loss of the love of her life.
'I Was Completely Lost'
Susan Lucci mourned the death of her husband Helmut Huber, who passed away in 2022 after a stroke.
Reflecting on their decades together, Lucci told People, "The minute I fell in love like I did with my husband, I knew how vulnerable I was. I was completely lost [after he died]. And it's so isolating. You feel so alone, even though I had the most wonderful friend... I am so grateful for the people who stood by me."
Huber, an Austrian-born producer and classically trained chef, passed away in 2022 at age 84, about a month after a stroke.
The couple married in 1969 after eight months of dating and had two children, Liza, 50, and Andreas, 45.
'I Felt Like Half a Person'
Susan Lucci documented her emotions and memories in her new memoir, 'La Lucci.'
In her upcoming memoir, La Lucci, out February 3, she opened up about navigating grief and finding ways to move forward.
However, the journey wasn’t easy.
"I felt like half a person," she said. "I could hardly remember that I was an actress. It didn't mean anything to me. I thought, 'Do I do that? Really?' I thought at that time I probably will never go in front of a camera or go on stage again."
In her book, Lucci fondly remembers Huber's personality and passions.
She wrote that he had a "great sense of humor," called her "Susie," and loved driving fast, skiing, golfing and cooking European comfort food.
On what she misses most, she said, "Everything. It's hard to say one thing. I just miss him, miss his presence, miss sharing things together, like coffee in the morning."
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'Looking for Joy Again'
She struggled with grief, feeling lost and isolated in the months following his passing.
Today, Lucci is embracing life again. "I am looking for joy again," she wrote in her book, finding comfort in work, travel, friends and "time spent with family, especially my grandchildren."
Even as grief lingers, she draws strength from Huber's memory, especially his favorite saying: "After the rain, the sun she shines. They still help me," she shared. "His words stick with me. He was really my rock."
Navigating Grief
Over time, the star focused on rediscovering happiness through work, travel, friends and her grandchildren.
On difficult days, she allows herself to feel what she needs to.
"I don't fight it," she said. "I'm surprised sometimes by it. Certainly there are things like the holidays that are triggers — someone who should be sitting at the table. But I just go with it."
