Lifestyle

'SHE NEEDS OUR HELP'

Soap Opera Icon, 64, Reveals Devastating Health Update

“Financial support is urgently needed.”

Cailey PetschHealth and Beauty Intern

PublishedJun 24, 2026, 4:55 PM EDT

UpdatedJun 24, 2026, 5:01 PM EDT

Updated Jun 24, 2026, 5:01 PM EDTPublished Jun 24, 2026, 4:55 PM EDT

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A retired soap opera actress is reentering the spotlight more than a decade after she left Hollywood.

Rather than promoting a new role or project, however, All My Children star Marcy Walker, 64, is making headlines with a heartbreaking health revelation.

The description of a GoFundMe page created on June 17 by two of Walker’s friends, Johanna Humphries and Melissa Braverman, reveals Walker’s battle with an unspecified medical condition.

“Recently, many of us had the absolute joy of reconnecting with Marcy during a special virtual livestream event,” the description reads. “Seeing her smile, hearing her reflect on those magical years, and feeling her warmth after so much time away from the spotlight was a beautiful reminder of why we fell in love with her in the first place.”

​The description continues, “But beyond the glamour of the screen and the joy of our recent reunion, life brings real-world challenges. Today, Marcy needs our help.”

The organizers stated that Walker is in dire need of assistance.

“While she has spent years giving her time, energy, and heart to others—both as an actress and later through her dedicated ministry and community work—she is currently navigating an ongoing health issue where financial support is urgently needed,” they wrote.

​Known for her role as Liza Colby in the ABC daytime soap opera, Walker resigned from acting in Hollywood to devote herself to her ministry at Life.Church, an evangelical megachurch in Edmond, Oklahoma.

​Walker told Edmond Outlook in 2012, “After a long time of praying, God told me that the scales had tipped, and I said I’m walking away from acting.”

She now lives privately with her husband of 26 years, Douglas Smith.

The actress also shares her 37-year-old son, Taylor Collins, with her third ex-husband, camera operator Stephan Collins. Taylor appeared as a baby in Santa Barbara, another major soap opera in which Walker appeared.

​Despite her efforts to step away from the limelight, Walker has resurfaced in the public eye due to her ongoing health journey. The GoFundMe aims to raise $18,000.

Ahead of the creation of the fundraiser, her former Santa Barbara co-star and friend, A Martinez, 77, co-hosted a livestream with Walker.

The two-hour June 7 livestream included moderation from Melissa Braverman, who created the GoFundMe campaign later that month.

The event was advertised as “a moderated discussion exploring the actors’ favorite memories from the Santa Barbara set.”

Tickets were available for purchase, and after the $100 fee was announced, the two Daytime Emmy winners faced backlash.

​Martinez clarified the reason for the steep ticket price in an Instagram post, in which he revealed that his former co-star was experiencing health struggles.

“There is a fee to attend, and some folks have expressed disappointment over the cost,” Martinez wrote. “Out of respect for my partner’s privacy, I did not speak to the reasons for the fee when I first posted.”

​The actor, who played Walker’s love interest on the show, continued, “The fact is, Marcy has been ill and is working hard to get well, and in the process has come face to face with the financial challenges that so often plague those of us unlucky enough to need serious medical care in our country.”

​The reunion marked the first time the pair had been publicly seen together since 2024, when they appeared on the red carpet for Santa Barbara’s 40th anniversary.

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Cailey PetschHealth and Beauty Intern

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