Raquel Welch dead at 82: Celebrities and fans pay tribute
Sex symbol and ’70s glam icon Raquel Welch died on Wednesday due to a brief illness at age 82.
Her reps confirmed her passing to The Post: “Raquel Welch, the legendary bombshell actress of film, television and stage, passed away peacefully early this morning after a brief illness. The 82-year-old actress burst into Hollywood in her initial roles in ‘One Million, B.C’ and ‘Fantastic Voyage.’ Her career spanned over 50 years starring in over 30 films and 50 television series and appearances. 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.”
Celebrities and fans across social media paid tribute to her after the legendary actress’ passing.
Reese Witherspoon, who featured Welch in her hit 2001 film “Legally Blonde,” called the legendary actress “elegant, professional and glamorous beyond belief.”
“Simply stunning,” Witherspoon, 46, continued on Twitter. “May all her angels carry her home. 🕊️ Sending love to her family and her many fans ❤️”
“Evil Dead” actor Bruce Campbell joined in mourning — echoing a sentiment that many other fans of a certain age shared. “The fancy of my formative years,” he tweeted. “Safe travels, Raquel.”
Welch — who never took herself too seriously — was also credited for teaching The Muppets’ Miss Piggy everything she knows.
“Raquel Welch was one of the most wonderful people I’ve ever worked with,” the personified puppet tweeted in tribute. “Performing a duet with her on The Muppet Show helped moi become the W-O-M-A-N I am today! We’ll never forget vous, Raquel!”
Fozzie Bear also heaped on praise: “I have Raquel Welch to thank for becoming a more confident comedian. On The Muppet Show, she helped pick me up when I was down and she was someone I could confide in. Thanks for being my friend, Raquel.”
TV presenter Lizzie Cindy wrote, “How sad to hear actress Raquel Welch has died. Such a beautiful woman who gained international fame in one of my fave movies ‘Fantastic Voyage.’ Such an iconic beauty. Rest in peace.”
Author Benjamin Dreyer wrote, “We were blessed to have her; she was a g.d. delight. Goodbye to Raquel Welch.”
The “Fantastic Voyage” star appeared in over 70 projects throughout the course of her career, including the 1973 film “The Three Musketeers” and the sitcom “Spin City.”
She told The Post in 2013 that one of her favorite TV roles was playing Abby Lassiter on the Michael J. Fox comedy.
“I was Richard Kind’s mother,” she said. “That was the joke. Like, This is your mother? What happened?’ Richard is a genius comedian. All I had to be was straight-forward. But I did get to wear this gorgeous Oscar de la Renta outfit.”
She attributed her longevity in Hollywood to her work ethic.
“I just have a lot of energy and I knew I had to use it,” she noted. “I wanted to be in the performing arts. I didn’t think that reality was all that interesting.”
Welch added, “The real world was fraught with disappointment. I thought it would be so much more fun if you could be dancing and singing. The way that I thought of the movies was a completely different bag of beans than it is today. It was really kind of an art form removed from reality.”
