Raquel Welch, the iconic actress, died due to cardiac arrest, as per her death certificate obtained by TMZ on April 4. The document also revealed that the actress was struggling with Alzheimer’s Disease, a fact that was not previously disclosed.
The representative of the Fantastic Voyage star had earlier announced her death in a statement to Us Weekly, stating that Welch passed away peacefully after fighting a brief illness. Welch’s successful career spanned over five decades, during which she appeared in more than 30 films and 50 television series.
She was also a Golden Globe winner. In recent years, Welch had been involved in a line of wigs that proved to be very successful. She is survived by her two children, Damon Welch and Tahnee Welch.
Raquel Welch, who recently passed away, moved to Los Angeles in 1963 to pursue her acting career. The following year, she appeared in shows such as Bewitched and A House Is Not a Home, which featured Elvis Presley. However, she gained immense popularity in 1966 after playing the role of Cora in the sci-fi film Fantastic Voyage, directed by Richard Fleischer. Welch became a sex symbol with her role in the film One Million Years B.C., in which she famously wore a deerskin bikini onscreen and in promotional images.
In a 2018 interview with The Sunday Post, Welch mentioned that she had been asked if she still had the bikini. She revealed that there were about six bikinis made for the film and they are probably in an archive somewhere.
She also said that she wasn’t sure if she would ever wear it again, but who knows, maybe she would wear it in the future if a script for a sequel called Two Million Years B.C. came her way. However, she hoped that the sequel would have more dialogue than the first film in which she had only three lines and the rest was silent.
Raquel Welch: What She has Achieved?
Raquel Welch’s career spanned over 50 years, and she appeared in more than 30 films and 50 television series and appearances. Despite her success, Welch remained humble and cherished her early roles that helped her achieve stardom.
During her career in Hollywood, Raquel Welch accumulated over 70 acting credits. She portrayed Mrs. Windham Vandermark in the movie Legally Blonde in 2001 and made appearances on several TV shows like Mork & Mindy, Seinfeld, and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Welch’s last credited roles were in the 2017 series Date My Dad and the movie How to Be a Latin Lover.
In 1975, Welch received a Golden Globe Award for her role as Constance de Bonacieux in The Three Musketeers. She acted alongside Oliver Reed, Richard Chamberlain, and Michael York in the film. In 1988, she was nominated for another Golden Globe Award for her performance as Emily Bauer in the miniseries Right to Die.
Raquel Welch was married four times in her personal life. Her first husband was James Welch, with whom she had two children, a son named Damon and a daughter named Tahnee, born in 1959 and 1961, respectively. They were married from 1959 to 1964. She then married Patrick Curtis from 1967 to 1972, followed by André Weinfeld from 1980 to 1990. In 1999, she married Richard Palmer, but they separated in 2004.