US actress and model Raquel Welch dies at age 82

February 16, 2023

US actress and model died yesterday in Los Angeles, California, Stephen LaManna, her manager, announced. She was 82 years old and had suffered a brief illness.

Welch was one of the most successful actresses of her time, with 30 film and 50 television roles throughout her career.

Jo-Raquel Tejada was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1940. She was raised in California, sweeping teen beauty pageants, then working as a local weather forecaster.

Divorced with two children, she lived in Texas, modelling for and working as a cocktail waitress.

In 1964, Welch returned to California, making cameos in the drama ' and the musical ', earning her big break.

After her 1966 performance as a bikini-clad cavewoman in , Welch became an international. In the 1970s, her portrayal of in the classic film  won a  award.

Welch long said she was uncomfortable with her body's sexualization. In her autobiography, Raquel: Beyond the Cleavage, she wrote: "The irony of it all is that, even though people thought of me as a sex symbol, in reality I was a single mother of two small children!"