Raquel Welch has died at the age of 82.
Raquel Welch has passed away
The actress' family has confirmed to TMZ that she passed away on Wednesday morning (15.02.23) after a brief illness.
The Hollywood star rose to fame in the 60s, when she appeared in the sci-fi movie 'Fantastic Voyage' and the fantasy film 'One Million Years B.C'.
Raquel subsequently became one of the most sought-after stars in the movie business and an international sex symbol.
The actress was particularly 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.
Raquel - 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, Raquel 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 - explained: "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.'"
Raquel is survived by her two children from her marriage to James Welch - her daughter Tawnee, 61, and her son Damon, 63.