‘Fantastic Voyage’ Star Raquel Welch’s Cause of Death Revealed: Details
A secret battle. New information about Raquel Welch’s death has been released following her death at the age of 82 on February 15.
According to the actress’ death certificate, obtained by TMZ on Tuesday, April 4, Welch’s official cause of death was cardiac arrest. The document also states that she was battling Alzheimer’s Disease, something which Welch had never previously revealed.
Upon her death, a representative for the Fantastic Voyage star told Us Weekly in a statement that Welch passed away “peacefully” after struggling with a “brief illness.”
“Her career spanned over 50 years starring in over 30 films and 50 television series and appearances,” the statement continued at the time. “The Golden Globe winner, in more recent years, was involved in a very successful line of wigs. Raquel leaves behind her two children, son Damon Welch and her daughter, Tahnee Welch.”
The Hannie Caulder actress moved to Los Angeles to pursue her acting dreams in 1963 and appeared on shows such as Bewitched and the Elvis Presley film A House Is Not a Home the following year. She launched to stardom in 1966 thanks to her role as Cora in the sci-fi movie Fantastic Voyage, directed by Richard Fleischer. She also became a sex symbol with her role in the film One Million Years B.C., in which she famously donned a deerskin bikini onscreen and in promotional images.
“I’m asked if I still have that bikini, but there were about six of them, and they’re probably in an archive somewhere. One day one of them will turn up in a museum or auction,” Welch revealed in an interview with The Sunday Post in August 2018. “I’m not sure if I will ever wear it again but you never know — perhaps one day the script will drop through the door for Two Million Years B.C. If it does, I hope it has more dialogue than the first one. I had three lines in that, the rest was silent.”
She racked up over 70 acting credits throughout her decades-long career in Hollywood. Welch played Mrs. Windham Vandermark in 2001’s Legally Blonde and made several TV appearances on shows like Mork & Mindy, C.P.W., Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Seinfeld, Spin City, American Family, 8 Simple Rules and Welcome to the Captain. Her last credited roles included the 2017 series Date My Dad and the movie How to Be a Latin Lover.
In 1975, Welch took home a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical, for her role as Constance de Bonacieux in 1973’s The Three Musketeers, which also starred Oliver Reed, Richard Chamberlain and Michael York. She scored another Golden Globe nomination in 1988 for Best Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie for her performance as Emily Bauer in Right to Die.
In her personal life, Welch tied the knot four times. Her first marriage was with James Welch from 1959 to 1964, with whom she welcomed her two children, son Damon and daughter Tahnee, in 1959 and 1961, respectively. She was later married to Patrick Curtis from 1967 to 1972, as well as to André Weinfeld from 1980 to 1990. In 1999, she said “I do” to Richard Palmer before calling it quits in 2004.
