'All My Children' star Mary Fickett dies at age 83

[September 13, 2011]  NEW YORK (AP) -- ABC says Mary Fickett, who played nurse Ruth Martin on "All My Children," has died.

The veteran daytime drama star died Thursday at her home in Virginia. She was 83.

Fickett had been an original cast member of "All My Children." It premiered in 1970. Three years later, she became the first performer to receive an Emmy Award for work on a daytime soap opera.

A native of Bronxville, N.Y., she had been a seasoned stage, film and TV actress before "All My Children." In 1958, she was nominated for a Tony Award for her Broadway role as Eleanor Roosevelt in "Sunrise at Campobello."

ABC plans to dedicate the Sept. 21 episode of "All My Children" to Fickett. Two days later, the series will end its network run.

[Associated Press]

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