80s soap icon turned minister Marcy Walker, 64, facing serious health issues… as loved ones launch fundraiser

Loved ones of Emmy-winning soap icon Marcy Walker are rallying around the actress as she battles 'significant health challenges'. 

A former soap opera star who appeared on Santa Barbara and All My Children, Walker's acting earned her a Daytime Emmy Award before she left Hollywood to become a youth minister. 

Now Walker, 64, is grappling with an unspecified ailment requiring urgent 'financial support', with friends launching a GoFundMe to 'support' the actress during her 'health journey.' 

'Today, Marcy needs our help,' the fundraiser's description reads. 

'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.'

The fundraiser seeks to raise money for Walker's medical and personal expenses, as well as costs associated with her essential expenses.

News of Walker's health woes came to the attention of fans as she prepared to do a Q&A with her Santa Barbara co-star A Martinez.

The duo played supercouple Eden Capwell and Cruz Castillo and were set to reunite for a discussion hosted by the author of the upcoming book Santa Barbara: The Complete Story, Melissa Braverman. 

Tickets to the virtual event started at $50, with 100% of proceeds set to benefit Walker amid her health challenges.

'This isn't just a trip down memory lane—it’s a gathering of community, love, and vital support,' a description for the event stated. 'Marcy has recently been facing significant health challenges. 

'100% of the proceeds from this livestream event—will go directly toward helping Marcy cover her rising medical bills and healthcare costs.

'Marcy has given us so much joy over the years. Now, it’s our turn to rally around her and show her the power of the fandom's love when it matters most.'

Martinez shed light on his former castmate's health after hearing from fans disappointed about the cost of the event. 

'Some folks have expressed disappointment over the cost. Now, out of respect for my partner's privacy, I did not speak to the reasons for the fee when first I posted,' he said in an Instagram video. 

'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. She is in that need.'

The event's host, Braverman, said Walker was grappling with 'significant health challenges' as of late. 

'As @abonemartinez has shared, our beloved Marcy Walker has recently been facing significant health challenges,' she posted to her Instagram. 

'100% of the proceeds from the June 7th livestream event I’m hosting with A and Marcy will go directly toward helping Marcy cover her rising medical bills and healthcare costs. 

'Marcy has given us so much joy over the years. Now, it’s our turn to rally around her and show her the power of the fandom’s love when it matters most.' 

Walker was just a recent high school graduate when she moved from Illinois to New York and made the cast of All My Children. 

'I was happy beyond belief,' she told the Edmond Outlook in 2012. 'It was the answer to my hopes and dreams. I think whenever you are on a set, you are meeting a new family. You are a part of something, and you feel accepted in your part. But it was also a learning curve.'

She was nominated for Daytime Emmy Awards for her work in both All My Children and Santa Barbara before finally clinching a trophy in 1989 for her portrayal of Eden Capwell.  

'Being nominated for an Emmy was very exciting,' she said.  'To be thought of as the best of the best was an honor and to win was fantastic. The recognition was not something I took for granted. It was pretty incredible.'

The success wasn't everything however, with Walker leaving Hollywood to embrace her faith.  

She founded a home church in Connecticut, taught bible school, and even met the man who would become her current husband, Doug Smith, during bible study. 

'I loved teaching the children about how much God was there for them and how He loved them,' she told the publication. 

'After a long time of praying, God told me that the scales had tipped, and I said I’m walking away from acting.'