Hollywood icon, Raquel Welch, has passed away after a brief illness, aged 82.
In a statement, her manager confirmed her death, saying she had died peacefully early on Wednesday morning after “a brief illness”, without providing further details.
The star shot to fame in 1966 for her films Fantastic Voyage and One Million Years B.C – her appearance in the latter movie, in which she donned a deerskin bikini, secured her Hollywood bombshell status. Playboy later ranked Welch No. 3 on their “100 Sexiest Stars of the Twentieth Century” list.
She went on to star in more than 30 films and around 50 TV shows in her long career.
The actor was married four times and is survived by two children, Tahnee and Damon Welch.
