Actress Raquel Welch has died at the age of 82, following a short illness, according to her representatives.
The 60’s star, originally named Jo Raquel Tejada, was best known for 1966’s “100 Million Years B.C.”. At the time, Welch was a 26-year-old single mother of two, who would quickly become a household name. Though she was recognized internationally for her beauty, Welch was “uncomfortable” with her notoriaty, at first, telling Cigar Aficianado,
“There’s a certain thing about that white-hot moment of first fame that is just pure pain. It’s just not comfortable. I felt like I was supposed to be perfect. And because everybody was looking at me so hard, I felt there was so much to prove.”
As her career progressed, Welch would star in such films as “Myra Breckenridge” and “The Three Musketeers”. Welch married and divorced four times, and is survived by her children, Damon and Tahnee Welch, and brother, Jimmy Tejada. More on Welch’s life and career can be found in her biography, Beyond the Cleavage, which was released in 2010.
We leave you with a quote on life by Ms. Welch, may she rest in peace,
“I never thought life was going to give me something for nothing. I’ve had a great life.”
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/15/movies/raquel-welch-dead.html
amazon.com/Raquel-Beyond-Cleavage-Welch/dp/1602860971
https://people.com/movies/raquel-welch-dies-at-82/
