Michelle Alaine Kepler (October 5, 1958 – February 1, 2008), was an American television actress best known for her work on ''

General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera created by Frank and Doris Hursley which has been broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC since April 1, 1963. Originally a half-hour seria ...

'' as "Nurse Amy Vining", from 1979 until 2002.

Early life

Kepler was born in Ohio, and her family moved to Arcadia, California when she was 10. She had one brother, Fred, who is named after their father.

Career

Kepler portrayed

busybody A busybody, meddler, nosey parker, or marplot is someone who meddles in the affairs of others. An early study of the type was made by the ancient Greek philosopher Theophrastus in his typology, ''Characters'', "In the proffered services of the ...

nurse Amy Vining, a "fan favourite" and sister of Laura Spencer's, on ''

'', from 1979 to 2002. She also appeared on the ''General Hospital'' spinoff ''

Port Charles ''Port Charles'' (commonly abbreviated as ''PC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from June 1, 1997, to October 3, 2003. It was a spin-off of the series ''General Hospital'', which has been running since 1963 and takes p ...

'', other shows such as ''

CHiPs ''CHiPs'' is an American crime drama television series created by Rick Rosner and originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to May 1, 1983. After the final first-run telecast on NBC in May 1983, the series went into reruns on Sundays fr ...

'' and ''

Three's Company ''Three's Company'' is an American television sitcom that aired for eight seasons on ABC from March 15, 1977, to September 18, 1984. Developed by Don Nicholl, Michael Ross and Bernie West, it is based on the British sitcom '' Man About the ...

'', and the movie ''Homework'' (1982) with

Joan Collins Dame Joan Henrietta Collins (born 23 May 1933) is an English actress, author and columnist. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Awards, a People's Choice Award, two Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Primetime Emm ...

. Kepler was also a businesswoman, who marketed a line of clothing on the former Home Shopping Club. In a 1994

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

interview, she claimed that her "Lacy Afternoon" collection had earned more than $20 million in sales that year. After her TV career ended, she moved to

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

and was active in charitable fundraising.

Personal life

Kepler married and divorced twice, and had 3 children. She and her ''

'' costar

Jacklyn Zeman Jacklyn Lee Zeman (March 6, 1953 – May 9, 2023) was an American actress who portrayed Bobbie Spencer on the ABC daytime soap opera ''General Hospital'' for 45 years. Early life and education Zeman was born in Englewood, New Jersey, to a fam ...

(who played Barbara Jean "Bobbie" Spencer) were close friends. Kepler died from

kidney failure Kidney failure, also known as renal failure or end-stage renal disease (ESRD), is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney fa ...

, on February 1, 2008, at

Oregon Health & Science University Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) is a public university, public research university, research university focusing primarily on health sciences with a main campus, including two hospitals, in Portland, Oregon. The institution was founded ...

. Zeman delivered a eulogy at her funeral. The February 26, 2008 episode of ''General Hospital'' was dedicated to Kepler, "In loving memory".

References

External links

Shell Kepler - Soapcentral.comShell Kepler at muchloved.comMichelle Kepler, under the nickname, "Shell" at remembered.com
1958 births 2008 deaths American soap opera actresses Deaths from kidney failure in the United States Actresses from Ohio People from Painesville, Ohio Actresses from Portland, Oregon 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American women {{US-tv-actor-1950s-stub