Who Was Marnie Schulenburg? The 37-Year-Old Actress Died after Battling Breast Cancer

May soap opera star Marnie Schulenburg rest in peace. She passed away at 37, only two years after being diagnosed with breast cancer. She left behind a young daughter.

Soap opera fans mourn the death of Marnie Schulenburg, best known as Alison Stewart on CBS' "As the World Turns." Although she was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer in 2020, she lived with "blind optimism."

Schulenburg wanted to get better and be with her husband and young daughter, but she died in Bloomfield, New Jersey, on May 17, 2022 – four days before her 38th birthday.

WHO WAS MARNIE SCHULENBURG?

Born on May 21, 1984, in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Marnie Schulenburg was passionate about acting from an early age. She got her theater degree from Pennsylvania's DeSales University in 2006 and landed her first role one year later.

It was not just any acting gig, though. Schulenburg was cast as Alison Stewart on "As the World Turns" in 2007 and appeared in more than 300 episodes before the show's cancelation in September 2010.

Schulenburg received a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Younger Actress in her final year on the soap. She later worked in "One Life to Live," "Tainted Dreams," "Army Wives," and "The Good Fight."

Her acting career might have been a crucial aspect of her life, but her priority was her daughter and husband. Marnie Schulenburg and Zack Robidas married in 2013 and welcomed their daughter, Coda, in December 2019.

Five months later, Schulenburg received her heart-breaking diagnosis. She revealed Coda knew about her illness before she did, though, because the baby refused to drink from her breast.

Being rejected by her daughter was tough and made her feel like a failure, but she later discovered people's beliefs about cancer affecting breast milk taste.

[Robidas] saw Schulenburg beat the illness every day.

MARNIE SCHULENBURG'S FINAL EMOTIONAL POST

Robidas, also an actor known for "Blue Bloods" and "Friends from College," pointed out that his late wife lived with "blind optimism," and Schulenburg's final Instagram post proved it.

She uploaded a carousel of photos of herself, her mother, and her daughter on Mother's Day 2022 and wrote that nobody could guarantee she would be home on that date, but she was.

Schulenburg listed some things she wanted to do for Coda, including being strong and beautiful and showing her how to live with compassion, humor, and all the positive traits her mother showed her. She added:

"On May 8, 2020, I found out I had Breast Cancer and truly thought my life was over. Two years later I'm still here and my chances of sticking around [Coda] better each month."

NOT A LOST BATTLE

When Marnie Schulenburg died, Zack Robidas took to Facebook to thank her fans for their support throughout the process. He also urged people to avoid saying his wife "lost her battle" to cancer because it was not true.

Robidas added that Schulenburg beat the illness daily and remarked that they attacked cancer with optimism and never stopped talking about their future together. Rest in peace, Marnie.