According to The Hollywood Reporter, Eileen Fulton, the indelible daytime television icon best known as Lisa Miller Hughes, one of the genre’s original “supervixens,” died on July 14 in Asheville, North Carolina. Her family also confirmed the news via Groce Funeral Home, citing a period of declining health.
As The World Turns Star Eileen Fulton Passed Away At 91
Fulton originated the role of Lisa in 1960, transforming what began as a supportive wife into a captivating, fiery character who would go on to make daytime TV history. For decades, Lisa schemed, seduced, and fought her way through Oakdale’s elite, becoming one of the most compelling and trailblazing women in soaps. Her character helped set the stage for the fierce female antiheroines who would follow.
Her impact was so profound that Irna Phillips, the creator and head writer of As the World Turns, developed a rare primetime spinoff, Our Private World, centered on Lisa in 1965. Though the spinoff lasted only a few months (May 5–September 10, 1965), it solidified Lisa’s place as a cultural force.
Fulton was temporarily replaced by Pamela King during a brief departure in 1964 but returned to ATWT in May 1966, reclaiming her crown. She continued playing Lisa gloriously until the show’s finale in 2010.
Over her 50-year run on the soap, Eileen broke barriers in and outside of daytime. She was one of the first soap stars to hire her own publicist, bringing a new level of visibility and recognition to the genre.
In 1998, she was inducted into the Soap Opera Hall of Fame, and in 2004, she received the Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award, alongside longtime co-star Don Hastings (Dr. Bob Hughes). The duo was honored with a special anniversary tribute montage on June 1, 2000, celebrating 40 years on the series.
In addition to acting, Fulton was a singer, cabaret performer, and author who remained fiercely committed to her craft and fans throughout her life.
Eileen Fulton’s unforgettable presence helped define an era of television. She was a trailblazer, a diva, and a true original, and her legacy will live on through every woman on daytime who dares to break the rules.
Fulton was 91 years old. Daytime Soap Stop sends its condolences
