Helen Wagner, 91, the legendary "As the World Turns" actress who played mild-mannered Nancy Hughes on the CBS soap opera for more than a half-century, died Saturday. No other details were available.
Wagner opened "As the World Turns" when it premiered on April 2, 1956, with the words: "Good morning, dear." She held the Guinness world record for playing the same TV role for the longest amount of time, CBS said.
She was still part of the cast, though with a small presence, last December when CBS announced that the soap opera's last episode would air in September.
Real life intruded on the show in historic fashion on Nov. 22, 1963, when it was still performed live on air. Wagner's character was talking when the broadcast was interrupted midsentence with a news bulletin announcing that President John F. Kennedy had been shot in Dallas.
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