US actress Raquel Welch dies aged 82
American actress and model Raquel Welch has died at the age of 82.
The actress is often credited with paving the way for modern-day action heroines in Hollywood films. She became an international sex symbol in the 1960s, with roles including a bikini-clad cavewoman in the 1966 film One Million Years B.C and a role in 1974’s The Three Musketeers – for which she won a Golden Globe.
Welch passed away on Wednesday morning, following a brief illness, her manager said.
Born in California, her career started in beauty pageants and modelling before her 1964 big break when she booked roles in A House Is Not A Home, and Roustabout, a musical starring Elvis Presley.
She shot to fame a few years later, when she booked back-to-back roles in the sci-fi film Fantastic Voyage and the fantasy movie One Million Years B.C.
She only had a small role in the latter film, but promotional images of her in a bikini turned her into a pin-up girl.
But despite her pin-up image, she had long expressed discomfort with the representation of her body, once saying she “was not brought up to be a sex symbol, nor is it in my nature to be one”.
“The fact that I became one is probably the loveliest, most glamorous and fortunate misunderstanding,” she added.
Tributes to Raquel Welch
Actress Reese Witherspoon was among those paying tribute, writing on Twitter that she “loved” working with Welch on Legally Blonde.
“She was elegant, professional and glamorous beyond belief,” said Witherspoon. “Simply stunning.”
Actress and producer Viola Davis posted a clip of her singing “I’m a Woman” with Cher in 1975, writing: “You were ageless to me…iconic”.
1978 she sang the same song with the famous puppet Miss Piggy, earning a tribute on Wednesday from the beloved comedy programme.
‘We’ll never forget our remarkable friend Raquel Welch, one of our favorite guests on The Muppet Show,” the Disney series tweeted.
Actor Paul Feig said he enjoyed working with her on TV series Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
“Kind, funny and a true superstar whom I was pretty much in love with for most of my childhood,” he wrote, adding: “We’ve lost a true icon.”
