Linda Michelle Merrill was born on December 2, 1950, in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and raised in Rutland, Vermont.
[1] She joined the New York City Ballet in 1967, making her debut as a corps dancer in A Midsummer Night's Dream.
She was one of the last dancers to have worked with George Balanchine,[3] and created two lead roles for him, in Ballo della Regina and Ballade.
[4] Other Balanchine ballets she was known for include Concerto Barocco, Donizetti Variations, Gounod Symphony and Chaconne.
[3] Ashley retired from the New York City Ballet in 1997, shortly before she turned 47, after 30 years of dancing.