Actress and international sex symbol, Raquel Welch, has died at the age of 84. She was last seen publicly in July 2022 when she went to get her nails done in Beverly Hills.

According to Welch’s family, she died following a brief illness on February 15, 2023. She was at home at the time.  A specific cause of death or details about the specific illness have not been made public at this time.

Welch’s first film credit was in 1964’s “A House Is Not a Home,” but her launch to stardom happened in 1966 when she had starring roles in back to back films, “Fantastic Voyage” and “One Million Years B.C.” In particular, the skimpy costume she wore in “One Million Years B.C.” quickly propelled her to sex symbol status.

Welch continued to act in multiple TV shows and movies. Her last role was in 2017.

At birth, Welch was named Jo Raquel Tejada. She was born in Chicago but moved to San Diego with her family when she was only 2 years old. As a child, Welch took dance lessons and later won multiple beauty pageants. She was crowned both “Miss La Jolla” and “Miss San Diego.”

Welch ended up going to college at San Diego State College, but she didn’t finish college. She dropped out and became a TV weather girl in San Diego. 

She married her first husband, James Welch, in 1958. They had two children together, Damon Welch and Tahnee Welch. The marriage didn’t last, and the divorced was finalized in 1964. After the divorce, Welch took her children with her to Dallas, Texas, where she worked as a barmaid and as a model for Neiman-Marcus.

Later in 1964, Welch moved back to California with her children, and she started her career in Hollywood. She won multiple awards during her career including a Golden Globe in 1975 for her role in “The Three Musketeers.” She also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Welch was married a total of four times. Her second husband was Patrick Curtis. They were married from 1967 – 1972. Her third husband was André Weinfeld. They were married from 1980 – 1990. Her fourth husband was Richie Palmer. They were married from 1999 – 2004.

Welch is survived by her children. Watch the video below to learn more about her life, career and death.

Rest in peace.

[Image credit: Wikipedia]