Actress and model Raquel Welch, 82, dies

Actress Raquel Welch arrives at the 5th Annual Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Governors Awards in Hollywood, California on November 16, 2013. Picture: Reuters/Fred Prouser

Actress Raquel Welch arrives at the 5th Annual Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Governors Awards in Hollywood, California on November 16, 2013. Picture: Reuters/Fred Prouser

Published Feb 16, 2023

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Raquel Welch has died at the age of 82.

The actress' family has confirmed to TMZ that she passed away on Wednesday morning after a brief illness.

The Hollywood star rose to fame in the 1960s, when she appeared in the sci-fi movie “Fantastic Voyage” and the fantasy film “One Million Years BC”.

Welch became one of the most sought-after stars in the movie business and an international sex symbol.

The actress was well-known for playing strong female characters and in 1974, she won a Golden Globe Award for best motion picture actress in a Musical or Comedy for her performance in “The Three Musketeers”.

She was also nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance in “Right to Die”, the 1987 drama film.

Welch – who competed in various beauty pageants before finding fame in the movie business – was also ranked as one of “Empire” magazine’s 100 sexiest stars in film history in 1995.

What’s more, the actress – who was married four times – was ranked number three in “Playboy” magazine’s 100 sexiest stars of the twentieth century list.

Despite this, Welch once admitted that she made a conscious effort to distance herself from her sex symbol status.

The actress - who worked as a TV weather reporter before finding success in Hollywood said: "I flipped my hair and put a bow in – to make myself look less exotic. But at some point I said: ‘I’m not going to fight it. This is what makes me different.’“

Welch leaves her two children from her marriage to James Welch – her daughter Tawnee, 61, and her son Damon, 63.