"I am eternally grateful to the fans for loving Erica Kane, even when she wasn't so lovable. Thanks to them, I got to continue to play her again and again," the legendary actress said in her acceptance speech. Susan Lucci received the recognition she deserved for her decades-long career when the actress was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 50th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards on Friday.

The award was presented by Shemar Moore, who also gave Lucci her first Daytime Emmy in 1999 for outstanding lead actress in a drama series — a win that followed 19 separate nominations since 1978. "She's been in TV series as well as film and stage... she's been ranked as one of the 50 greatest television stars of all time and I couldn't agree more," Moore, 53, said.