It is being reported that Eileen Herlie has died

[Pine Charles]

Does anyone know what her last airdate was? Was it 6/23/08?

[AMCHistory]

That sounds about right. Myrtle was reunited with Zach around Christmas 2007 after he was rescued from the bomb shelter.

[Pine Charles]

So I guess this is her last AMC scene ever (starts @ 3:03):

Ends with a kiss from Zach. Awwwwwwww

Too bad it couldn't have been with Erica, though. That would have been so fitting

[Ann_SS]

Rest in peace, Eileen. The character of Myrtle brought a lot of joy to me and others over the years.

[Tishy]

Legend and a classy lady. Mayyou rest in peace.

I love her and Thorsten's relationship on the screen and it was obvious that they cared for each other off screen as well. I found this and thought it should be posted.

[Ms. Chandler Quartermaine]

OMG...Im so shocked.

I hope AMC pays a great tribute to her, and I PRAY they bring back Linda Dano & Robin Christopher for the service if they kill off her character ( It would be such a great way to really say goodbye)

[rsmith2k2]

LeClerc summed up my feelings beautifully.

I am truly saddened.

Thank you, Eileen. AMC was forever changed by your presence and now, the show's future is lessened without you.

[reallyhateskateonlost]

Oh my gosh. Very sad. May she rest in peace.

[Port Oak Valley]

How sad. Myrtle was a great charcter and Eileen a great actress.

[Pine Charles]

I hope Susan Lucci makes an Eileen mention Monday on DWTS.

[CassieFan]

OMG.

R.I.P. Eileen

[chrishntr]

"ALL MY CHILDREN," FILM AND STAGE STAR EILEEN HERLIE DIES AT 90

Eileen Herlie (1918-2008) died on Wednesday, October 8, 2008 in New York City of complications from pneumonia at the age of 90. Ms. Herlie joined the cast of "All My Children" in 1976, playing the role of Myrtle Fargate, a character who became a second mother to Erica Kane (Susan Lucci), as well as to all the citizens of Pine Valley, offering her love, advice and wisdom.

Born and raised in Glasgow, Scotland, Ms. Herlie worked for several years in the Scottish National Theatre and in the English theater in the company of Tyrone Guthrie. Among her first hit plays on the London stage was Jean Cocteau's "The Eagle Has Two Heads."

On Broadway she starred as Queen Gertrude opposite Richard Burton's "Hamlet," and played the same role in the film with Sir Laurence Olivier. She also starred on Broadway with Ruth Gordon in "The Matchmaker," with Jackie Gleason and Walter Pidgeon in "Take Me Along," with Ray Bolger in "All American," and as Queen Mary in "Crown Matrimonial." Ms. Herlie's other film credits include "Freud" with Montgomery Clift and Sidney Lumet's "The Seagull" with Simone Signoret.

Ms. Herlie guest starred as Myrtle Fargate on two other ABC daytime dramas, "Loving" and "One Life to Live."

She is survived by her brother, Alfred Herlihy, and her nieces and nephews.

"All My Children" celebrated its 38th Anniversary on January 5, 2008. The program has successfully maintained its popularity and continues to be one of daytime's most compelling dramas. "All My Children" took home the 1998 Emmy Award for Outstanding Daytime Drama Series, the third time the show received this top honor, having also garnered the award in 1994 and 1992. In 2004 the show also received its third consecutive Emmy Award for Outstanding Daytime Drama Series Writing, its third Writers Guild Award and its fourth GLAAD Media Award in March 2007.

Created by Agnes Nixon, "All My Children" premiered on the ABC Television Network on January 5, 1970, as a half-hour show; seven years later it expanded to an hour. Julie Hanan Carruthers is executive producer, Charles Pratt, Jr. is head writer and consulting producer with Casey Childs, Conal O'Brien, Angela Tessinari and Steven Williford directing. "All My Children" is produced in New York and airs MONDAY-FRIDAY (1:00-2:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network.

[SFK]

Truly the end of an era. Soaps these days don't seem to realize the value of characters like Myrtle. How many of us have beloved, wise, eccentric grandmothers and great aunts who we love seeing represented on screen in characters like Myrt. I remember watching AMC as a little kid in the early '80s, and she was always such a fun, vivid character. It made me sad the other week when Randi was talking about how the boutique was closed, the nice old lady who ran it had retired. Now that line is 10x sadder. I hope someone throws in a line about Myrtle having enjoyed a whirlwind vacation or something before she passed. I remember when Mona died, Myrtle telling Erica how she had just ordered parkas for herself and Mona, they were going to take a trip to Alaska. And now Mona was gone.

I don't care if it takes a few months to get together, but they MUST pay proper respect to Ms. Herlie with a funeral ep for Myrtle. She has touched the lives of many in Pine Valley, no raggedy Louis Edmonds treatment.

I saw Ms. Herlie at the Emmys about 10 years ago, and she was pretty frail and unsteady on her feet then. She's blessd to have been here, and we're blessed to have had her with us for almost a decade more.

People use this line often when folks pass, but it's particularly fitting for the lady who played Gertrude to Burton's and Olivier's Hamlet:

Good night sweet (queen):

And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!

[Ryan Chamberlain]

What horrid news I had to come home to. That everyone who was a fan of her and her character had to.

She was a wonderful woman. And, amazing at her craft. She was one of the most skillful actors I have ever seen.

She will really be missed. And, may her soul rest in peace.

[cct]

dp