Raquel Welch, Chicago-born Hollywood bombshell, dies at 82

Raquel Welch, the Chicago native who ruled as one of Hollywood’s leading bombshells of the 1960s and ’70s, died Wednesday at age 82.

Her manager said in a statement that Welch “passed away peacefully early this morning after a brief illness.”

The actor broke out with roles in two 1966 hits: “Fantastic Voyage” and “One Million Years B.C.” Welch was once dubbed the “Most Desired Woman” of the 1970s by Playboy magazine.

She won a Golden Globe Award for her work in the 1975 film “The Three Musketeers.” Her other credits included “Bedazzled” (1967), “Bandolero!” (1968), “Myra Breckinridge” (1970), “Kansas City Bomber” (1972) and “Mother, Jugs & Speed” (1976).

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She was born Jo Raquel Tejada to a Bolivian father and Irish mother in Chicago. The couple had met at the University of Illinois and moved to Chicago, where they had their daughter and then moved away when she was 2.

In addition to her acting achievements, Welch found success as a maker of wigs with Celebrity Signatures International Inc. During a 1999 appearance promoting the wigs at the Marshall Field’s State Street store, she said she makes sure the paparazzi never catch her off guard in ratty cutoffs and with messy hair.

“If you have an image, I feel you have an obligation to live up to it,” said Welch. “I feel I would be letting people down.

Her career, spanning 50 years, 30 films and 50 TV series and appearances, began with “A House Is Not a Home” in 1964. Her last role was Rosa in the 2017 TV drama “Date My Dad,” co-starring Audrey Smallman and Barry Watson.

She is survived by her two children, son Damon Welch and daughter Tahnee Welch. 

Contributing: USA Today