The character stayed on Port Charles until October 2003, when the series was cancelled, and she made a brief guest appearance on General Hospital in July 2004.

She returned that December for the revival of the infamous Nurses' Ball, which she founded in the 1990s, as well as a continuation of Port Charles' vampire story arc.

Lynn Herring, a former beauty queen who placed fourth in the 1977 Miss USA pageant, originated the role of Lucy Coe in 1986.

She was penned by The Vancouver Sun as being either a "drab social worker, admitted liar" and "sexy schemer" or a "clever youngster" who was cutting corners for money.

Initially, Lucy was a guest character who was a "mousy librarian" that quickly lies for a friend, Kevin O'Connor, on the stand, and is caught.

General Hospital fans, however, were intrigued by the character, prompting the show's executive producer Gloria Monty to keep Herring as part of the cast.

[12] In 1997, Herring left the series to permanently migrate the character of Lucy to ABC Daytime's new soap opera Port Charles, which was a spin-off to General Hospital.

A seductive evil vampire named Caleb Morley (Michael Easton) sires Livvie Locke (Kelly Monaco).

Lucy, Port Charles' "resident eccentric", was then revealed to be a vampire slayer, making her a pivotal character in the storyline.

"[17] On July 16, 2004, Herring returned as a guest star on General Hospital, for Lucy to attend Lila Quartermaine's funeral.

On July 24, 2009, it was reported that Herring would return to daytime television after years of absence, but on As the World Turns, not General Hospital.

'"[19] Of her decision to join ABC Daytime's rival series, Herring stated, "Truthfully if GH had asked first, I would have been there in a heartbeat, and I let them know that too.

I think with the mafia and their different stories, the older characters that I interacted with aren’t there anymore, with Jon going away, Kin not being there, Tony [Geary], and Jane [Elliot].

Lucy was to return to be involved in The Nurses Ball, a fictional event that was held every year in Port Charles, which she was the organizer of.

[27] It was later announced that Lucy's ex-husband, Kevin Collins (Jon Lindstrom) would also be returning to General Hospital, as part of an ongoing storyline.

"[17] The show's head writer Ron Carlivati said, "This will kick off a nice little mystery story: Is Lucy crazy or is there something very real going on here?

[17] Lucy Coe first appeared in Port Charles in April 1986 as a mousy librarian, whose involvement with Kevin O'Connor made her an alibi in his murder case.

After her marriage to Tony fell apart, Victor Jerome the mobster becomes infatuated with her and swallows a diamond pendant that he bought her, which causes him to die.

When Lucy returned to Port Charles, Scott had moved on with Dominique Taub, who had been diagnosed with a terminal form of cancer.

Lucy returned to her scheming ways, albeit temporarily, and made a bet with Damian Smith that he could not bed Bobbie.

In December 2012, Lucy returns at the behest of Sabrina Santiago, who is attempting to resurrect the Nurses' Ball, but is having a difficult time finding financial backing.

Although Lucy expresses a genuine desire to resurrect the ball, financial issues involving her company, CoeCoe Cosmetics, prevent her from doing so.

In January 2013, Lucy has an encounter with John McBain and Samantha Morgan at Kelly's Diner, mistaking them for former Port Charles characters Caleb Morley and Livvie Locke.

Attorney Alexis Davis later represents her in court, where she gets Lucy to plead not guilty by reason of insanity and is admitted to Ferncliff.

Toronto Star described Herring's debut on General Hospital as an "old movie cliché in reverse", writing: "Instead of mousey librarian taking off horn-rimmed glasses and turning into a ravishing beauty, former beauty queen Herring put her hair in a bun, scrubbed off her makeup, and walked off with the role of timid, frumpy Lucy Coe.

[30] Herring has received a number of honors for her portrayal of Lucy, including Daytime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 1990 and 1992.