ATWT: Helen Wagner's Death

Daytime legend Helen Wagner passed away this past weekend at the age of 91. For 54 years, she played Nancy on As the World Turns.

Looking at the newspaper today and reading her obituary made it real to me. The mourning began at that point and I don’t know why even with all the pictures and tributes, it felt like it wasn’t true at first. With ATWT ending, I knew that Helen Wagner wouldn’t be on television much longer, but I didn’t think we’d have to say goodbye before the last episode aired in September.

While I wasn’t watching ATWT when Nancy’s beloved husband Chris was alive, I fondly remember her falling in love and making a life with Mac. The time the two shared together was cut short, when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. When I get a chance to watch ATWT, which granted isn’t regularly, I was glad if it happened to be a day that Helen was acting.

I’m curious how As the World Turns will handle Helen’s death. Will the program have Nancy pass away or ignore it and simply put an “In Memory” note at the end of an episode? Hopefully they will figure out what they are doing soon. The only saving grace is if they decide to have Nancy die, they have enough time to rewrite scripts to do a decent tribute. I’m not sure which way is the best, have Nancy live on or use her death to equate the end of the show. Whichever way they go, I want Nancy and Helen to be honored in the show’s waning days.

Helen Wagner was the last of her kind, as Nancy was the last traditional soap matriarch. She was a parent (grand or otherwise), friend and wife. Nancy would pour coffee while listening to others people pour their hearts out to her. She was not a villain or a vixen, but the type of person one would want in their corner.

Nancy was part of what made As the World Turns, recognizable to fans from different generations, which is something I find comforting. Newer and younger viewers may have not started to watch the program to see Nancy’s story, but she was a vital element of the fabric of the show as she was a big piece of its heart. Helen Wagner will not be forgotten, by the people who love As the World Turns.