‘Fantastic Voyage’ actress Raquel Welch dead at 82

Legendary actress Raquel Welch has passed away at the age of 82 following a brief illness.

The 1960s sex symbol began her career in the mid-1960s with guest spots on shows like ‘The Virginian’, ‘McHale’s Navy’ and ‘Bewitched’, which led to one of her first film roles, ‘Fantastic Voyage’, in 1966.

Welch’s family announced passing

TMZ were the first to announce the news, with Welch’s family confirming she passed away on Wednesday following a brief illness.

On the big screen, Welch played Loana in the 1966 British adventure fantasy ‘One Million Years B.C’, and is also known for portraying the Deadly Sin ‘Lust’ alongside Peter Cook and Dudley Moore in the 1967 comedy ‘Bedazzled’.

She also played Fathom Harvill in the 1967 spy comedy ‘Fathom’.

Welch’s career took off

From there her career took off as she became one of the most-recognizable female stars of the 1960s and 1970s. She even took home a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Actress in a Musical or Comedy for her performance in the 1974 film ‘The Three Musketeers’.

In the 1970s/’80s she made appearances on ‘Mork & Mindy’, as well as ‘Scandal in a Small Town’ and ‘Right to Die’, earning a Golden Globe for her work in the latter.

In 1995 she was named one of ‘100 Sexiest Stars in Film History’ by Empire magazine, and was also ranked #3 in Playboy’s ‘100 Sexiest Stars of the 20th Century’.

In recent years she made guest appearances on ‘Lois & Clark’, ‘Sabrina the Teenage Witch’, ‘Seinfeld’, ‘Spin City’ and ‘CSI: Miami’.

Welch was married four times throughout her life.

She was married to James Welch from 1959 to 1964, Patrick Curtis from 1967 to 1972, Andre Weinfeld from 1980 to 1990 and Richard Palmer from 1999 to 2004. Welch also had two children, Tahnee and Damon Welch.