On February 15, TMZ reported tragic news about legendary American actress Raquel Welch. According to family members, Welch died at 82 years old.
Her family confirmed her passing occurred after a short battle with an unspecified illness. Her official cause of death has not yet been revealed.
Back in 2019, Raquel Welch, the American actress best known for her role in Fantastic Voyage, stepped away from the spotlight. For years, she was a face in Hollywood that everyone envied.
Raquel Welch May Have Stepped Away From the Spotlight, But Here Are 16 Photos of Her to Remember Her Timeless Beauty
It’s believed these are the last known photos of Welch:
After first coming on to the scene in the 60s, Welch immediately became an international sex symbol and went on to star in other classics such as Legally Blonde, The Three Musketeers, and so many more.
Raquel Welch May Have Stepped Away From the Spotlight But Here Are 25 Photos of Her to Remember Her Timeless Beauty
The last known interview by Welch took place in 2018 when she sat down with the U.K.’s Sunday Post. During her interview, Welch admitted that while it’s nice to be noticed, she’s enjoyed her time away from the spotlight.
“It is nice to be noticed. I think it is much better than not being noticed,” she admitted. “My whole career has been about being noticed, just like any other actor or actress, so I am grateful that people are still interested.”
She also talked about her start and the meteoric rise to fame she experienced after One Million Years BC and Fantastic Voyage were made public.
“I had made another movie which was a big step up for me from very small parts. It was Fantastic Voyage and should have been released before One Million Years BC but the special effects delayed it, so I was the dinosaur lady first and the science lady second,” she told The Sunday Post.
“Both made a huge difference to my career. Overnight, I found myself in demand. Before that, I was not much more than an extra.”
And while Welch always dreamed of being a performer, she never imagined her life would turn out like this.
“I dreamed of performing but as a ballet dancer. I went to ballet school when I was seven and worked hard until I was 17 – by which time I had grown quite a bit of course and my instructor broke it to me that I really didn’t have the figure for ballet.”
While that hurt Welch, she never gave up. And through it all, she kept her focus on what was important too.
“I kept up my school work and whatever I have done, I have always tried to do my best, so I graduated with honors.”
“I had never given up on my dream and now I had some qualifications, I knew I had something to fall back on if I failed to be an actress,” she continued.
“So I went to San Diego State College on a scholarship to study theatre arts, as it was then known.”
It was at school that she met her first husband, James Welch. “I was very young, but I was in love.”
“Two children came along, but then James and I split. I gave up my drama studies and decided that we should move to Dallas. It was like starting again.”
But after just getting by for some time, Welch admitted that wasn’t good enough for her and so she moved her family to LA. And the rest as they say is history!
“I’ve made quite a few movies, TV shows, and theatre plays, and I think people realized that I was not just there to look good on a movie poster. I could really act too.”
It’s unclear what Welch is up to now, but she’ll be 82 this September.
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