Wednesday's WDBJ Tragedy Echoes Soap Storyline From the Past

The Edge of Night's Nicole Cavanaugh died live on camera on June 10, 1983.

My name is William Joseph Reynolds, and like Mr. Newcomb (We Love Soaps editorial director), I am a contributor to "Survival of Soap Opera: Transformations for a New Media Era," published by the University of Mississippi Press. My chapter involves 'Memories of The Edge of Night.' From the time I was 7 1/2 years old, in January of 1964, until the show's final airing, on December 28, 1984, Edge was part of my life. in fact, I was one of only two fans invited to the show's final taping.

Today's tragic events involving WDBJ-TV in Roanoke, Virginia share a number of similarities with a storyline from Edge, in June of 1983.

Nicole Cavanaugh (played by Lisa Sloan) had just been cleared of murder charges, and was returning to her job as anchor, at WMON-TV. A very happy occasion, indeed. Earlier, on Wednesday, the WBDJ staff celebrated the producer's last day on the job, as she is moving on to a new job in North Carolina, and will be starting a new life with her fiancee, Adam Ward.

During a live WMON broadcast, Nicole collapses and dies, while at her anchor desk. It is, later discovered, that her TV make-up had been poisoned.

Wednesday's gruesome scenario was, also, captured on live television, and a brave and valiant Adam Ward, in his dying moments, aimed his camera at his attacker.

The WDBJ producer saw her fiancee fatally shot, while Dr. Miles Cavanaugh (Joel Crothers) saw his beloved Nicole draw her last breath on air.

Both crimes were perpetrated by fellow news station employees. Station manager Stan Hathaway (Ronn Carroll) was revealed to be the killer on Edge, and died, during a police chase. Vester Lee Flanagan is alleged to have been the gunman in Virginia who killed both, and critically injured the woman being interviewed.

Nicole's former husband was Adam Drake, and her young son was named for him, posthumously, when he was born in December 1977.

The cameraman today was also named Adam. I, like many Americans, am shocked and outraged by this senseless tragedy, but from my perspective, I can't help but recall a storyline from my beloved Edge of Night from 32 years ago.

Watch The Edge of Night episode below: