Sad news came from Hollywood today, as film icon Raquel Welch has passed away at the age of 82.
The actress passed away after a brief illness, according to a statement from Welch’s publicist.
Some of our younger readers may not be familiar with Raquel’s body of work, but those who came of age in the sixties and seventies may remember a time when some of the names were more recognizable.
thanks to his work in popular films like great trip And a million years BCWelch became one of the biggest stars on the planet in his twenties.
Her wardrobe in the latter film was described by one critic as “the definitive 1960s look”.
Born Raquel Tejada in 1940 to a Bolivian immigrant father, Welch was encouraged by her first manager to use her husband’s name professionally, so as not to be “typecast in Latina roles”.
However, she changed her first name to “Debbie” on the advice of a studio exec who thought “Raquel” would be too difficult for the audience to pronounce.
In the decades that followed, Welch earned more than 40 film credits.
In addition to the popcorn fare that made her famous, Welch took on more challenging roles, such as the transgender title character in the 1970 film myra breckenridgeBased on the controversial novel by Gore Vidal.
She also shed her image as a sex symbol with comedic roles seinfeld, spin cityAnd Naked Gun 33+1/3: The Final Humiliation.
Welch said in a 2001 interview with Cinema.com, “Part of being a sex symbol is very flattering and it does help you find success in business – but only up to a point,” adding that “It’s very flattering for people.” clouds the imagination of.”
“They can’t see you as capable of anything else,” she explained.
Around the same time, Welch made herself known to a whole new generation thanks to her work in the beloved Reese Witherspoon comedy legally Blonde,
News of Welch’s death made his name an instant trending topic on Twitter, as heartfelt tributes poured in from family, friends and fans of the loss.
He has two children in his family, including actress Tahnee Welch.
Our thoughts go out to Raquel’s loved ones as they mourn the loss of a true Hollywood legend.