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Film Icon Raquel Welch Dead at 82: Details on Her Career and Legacy She Left Behind
Raquel Welch, best known for her roles in a number of 20th Century films, died at age 82 on Wednesday, February 15, her rep, Stephen LaManna, confirmed to Closer. The Fantastic Voyage star “passed away peacefully early this morning after a brief illness.”
“Her career spanned over 50 years, starring in over 30 films and 50 television series and appearances,” he said in a statement. “The Golden Globe winner, in more recent years, was involved in a very successful line of wigs. Raquel leaves behind her two children, son Damon Welch and her daughter, Tahnee Welch.”
Raquel, born Jo Raquel Tejada on September 5, 1940, in Chicago, was destined for stardom at an early age. When she was 2 years old, her family moved to San Diego where she began ballet dancing and competing in local beauty pageants. After getting involved in local theater, finding a career in Hollywood became the performer’s biggest dream.
She married her high school boyfriend, James Welch, in 1959, and had a brief stint as a weather forecaster before their 1964 split. The former couple welcomed two children together during their union: Damon and Latanne “Tahnee” Welch. Raquel was married three more times following their divorce, first to film producer Patrick Curtis from 1967 to 1972, then to André Weinfeld from 1980 to 1990 and later to Richard Palmer from 1999 to 2004.
Raquel landed some of her earliest television roles in the ‘60s, with appearances on the variety series The Hollywood Palace and The Baileys of Balboa. It wasn’t long before she became known as one of the bombshells of Hollywood, with scene-stealing parts in One Million Years B.C. under Hammer Film Productions as well as the spy film Fathom. The beauty’s stardom grew from the U.S. to overseas with each new role she tackled.
In 1975, she won a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Actress in a Musical or Comedy for The Three Musketeers. She was nominated once again for Best Actress in a Limited Series or Television Motion Picture for her portrayal of Emily Bauer in 1987’s Right to Die. On top of scoring roles in The Beloved, Fuzz, Animal, Mork & Mindy and more, the model posed for Playboy and released a book and video titled The Raquel Welch Total Beauty and Fitness Program in the ’80s.
In the years leading up to her death, Raquel appeared in 2016’s The Ultimate Legacy, 2017’s How to Be a Latin Lover and 10 episodes of the 2017 comedy-drama series Date My Dad.
