# Helen Wagner a.k.a. Nancy Hughes' world stops turning.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helen-wagner-a-k-a-nancy-hughes-world-stops-turning/539195>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [May 12, 2010, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helen-wagner-a-k-a-nancy-hughes-world-stops-turning/539195 "2010-05-12T17:36:20Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\
**Post date:** [May 12, 2010, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helen-wagner-a-k-a-nancy-hughes-world-stops-turning/539195/1 "2010-05-12T17:36:20Z")

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I didn’t see a thread for this (did a forum search), so I may as well post it. Helen Wagner, who has portrayed matriarch Nancy Hughes on the soap “As the World Turns” since 1955 has [died](http://www.theinsider.com/news/3294699__As_the_World_Turns_Mourns_Death_of_Helen_Wagner).

Sad enough news, but a little sadder to think that if she lasted a few more months, she could’ve appeared on the very last episode of ATWT. Supposedly, the first episode (from more than half a century ago) began in the Hughes kitchen, with Nancy saying “Good morning dear!” to her husband. It might have been fitting to have the final scene of the last episode be Nancy saying “Good night, dear!” to someone (her husband being long dead.)

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**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\
**Post date:** [May 12, 2010, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helen-wagner-a-k-a-nancy-hughes-world-stops-turning/539195/2 "2010-05-12T17:40:21Z")

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Like sands through the hourglass…