If you don't import a save game from Mass Effect, you will automatically choose the character of the opposite gender to survive.
If you play Mass Effect first, though, you can choose if you want Ashley or Kaidan to survive. So to play Mass Effect 2 as a female and with Ashley alive, you would have to play Mass Effect and let Kaidan die on Virmire.
If you start a fresh game without importing a save from ME1, then Ashley is alive, and she will be alive if you import an ME1 save where you chose to save her near the end. However if you import a save where you chose to rescue Kaidan instead, he will be present instead of Ashley.
AnswerMerrill Ashley is alive.
The country music artist, Leon Ashley is still alive. He is 73.
If you played Mass Effect 1 the second game imports your old game save, so it would depend on how you played Mass Effect 1 as to whether or not Kaiden is alive. If you did not play Mass Effect 1, then the game will default to the character with the opposite gender to Shepard. So Ashley will be there with a male Shepard, Kaiden for a female one. Below is a link which has the important decisions you make in 1 and their effect in the sequel.
Yes they are currently alive and as beautiful as ever.
yes, very much alive and filming HSM4
No, she is alive.
They are both still alive
No, I can confirm he is VERY much alive and living.
No, Michael J. Tisdale is alive and healthy.
No, I Ashley Bryan is NOT dead. He is still very much alive living in Maine. Still painting and doing art every day.
David Blackwell is 91 and is still alive - Ashley Marie