Joyce Becker Sugarman (1941-2026)
Thursday came word that Joyce Becker, an early soap journalist and event impresario, passed away from a stroke at 84. She and her husband Allan Sugarman founded and organized the hugely popular Soap Opera Festivals, a series of mall shows built around soap star appearances. The charismatic Joyce was loved by her journalism colleagues, and the many soap opera stars her productions showcased.
“Joyce has never met a person she didn’t befriend,” said Mimi Torchin, the founding editor of Soap Opera Weekly. Joyce’s great sense of humor, empathy and charm became well known in the soap world when, in 1974, she and Allan premiered their first mall shows in suburban New Jersey and productions that ran continuously until halted by the pandemic in 2020.
Joyce grew up in the South Bronx wanting to be an actress. For her high school newspaper she interviewed Bobby Darin, who turned out to be the first of many celebrities she befriended in her long career. Among them was Elvis Presley. She met him on a trip to the Academy Awards in California, and they grew quite close. Elvis always called her “Ma’am” and, according to her husband, gave her birthday gifts of jewelry she always treasured.
Joyce and good friend Elvis
In New York, Joyce worked in the early days of fan magazines with such notables as Paul Denis, who founded DaytimeTV, the first soap magazine, and Milburn Smith, who edited Afternoon TV. Just to see what it was like to act on a soap, she landed a three-day role on “The Doctors” as the nurse of the formidable Dr. Nick Bellini (Gerald Gordon), the husband of Dr. Althea Davis (Elizabeth Hubbard).
Soap journalist Pat Palmer, who worked with her on All Day TV, noted how much Joyce loved the people she worked with and covered. “She always had us all over to her house for wonderful dinners and evenings,” Palmer recounted. It was a time when the soap world — especially the soaps produced in New York — was a remarkably close and friendly community. Later Joyce also did special issues for the new Soap Opera Digest.
She met her loving husband Allan, a public relations executive, in 1974. They were married a year later. Says Allan: “We both invented the Soap Opera Festivals together. But the mall personal appearances and everything we did was really a Joyce Becker production.” Joyce was always the MC.Each show featured four or more soap stars with big names, like Jacqueline Courtney (Alice Matthews, “Another World”) and Ruth Warrick (Phoebe Tyler, “All My Children.”)
The sold-out shows became so popular nationwide that in 1991 one very much like Joyce and Allan’s was portrayed in the movie “Soap Dish,” which was all about a top soap star named Celeste Talbert (Sally Field) rumored to be based on Susan Lucci’s Erica on “All My Children.” Joyce had many such famous guests at her joyous mall meet-and-greets.Allan fondly remembers the squeals at one of their most popular productions, introducing Stephen Nichols his early days playing Patch Johnson on “Days of Our Lives.”
Allan and Joyce have two children, Elizabeth and David, and two grandchildren. Allan lovingly remembers that Joyce’s strong, amiable personality could even be felt at her funeral service.“At the very end,” he says, “we played Frank Sinatra’s song ‘My Way.’ That was all Joyce.”
She sounds like an incredible woman! I remember those mall soap events, and they were a huge deal. My condolences to her family and friends.
Thanks for writing in Vince.
Excellent column, Connie! Of course, I knew about the mall events but nothing about either of these people & I feel like I know them a bit now & of course appreciate their involvement really over a long period of time of US daytime soap glory. So many of us met so many soap actors at them! And, of course the tradition of some soap fans getting pictures taken with actors & getting autographs signed is one of the oldest fan activities.
And, thank you for the column being a kind of an In Loving Memory page. We have to have ILM & RIP. I’ve just been gutted all day since in the first 10 minutes I was awake I learned of Patrick Muldoon’s sudden fatal heart attack at 57. And, I will close with something I always post.
May light perpetual shine upon Joyce Becker Sugarman & may angels & heavenly hosts guide her to her new resting place & may she be met there by long unseen family & friends & beloved pets. And, may a feast be laid at a groaning table, only awaiting her presence. What a celebration of her life!!!
Thanks as always Donna. Yesterday after I wrote this column I head of Patrick Muldoon’s (“Days”) untimely death. As always there are too many deaths in the soap world all at once.
Those events were so much fun to do! There was no stress because you knew Joyce would make you look good. She’d see to it that you got questions that would showcase your strengths. And if a gotcha came your way from the audience — and it almost never happened — would deflect it with so much charm and humor. She was amazing. I couldn’t wait to go out with Joyce and Alan. My condolences for her family for the loss of such a wonderful woman. .
What a lovely note. It is so great to hear stories about attending Joyce’s shows. I too am so lucky that I got to see them too back when I was starting out in the soap business.
This column is a beautiful tribute to a fascinating woman. Great job as always.
Thanks so much as always dear G.L.