The US actress Raquel Welch is dead. Welch, who celebrated cinema successes especially in the 60s and 70s, died on Wednesday at the age of 82 after a “brief illness”, her management told the German Press Agency . Welch, born Jo Raquel Tejada in Chicago in 1940, became famous in 1966 with her appearance in the Stone Age hit “A Million Years Before Our Time” – mainly thanks to her tight fur bikini. As cave girl Loana, the then 26-year-old became a sex symbol overnight. Welch had previously played several smaller roles, after which she celebrated numerous cinema successes. She shot with Hollywood greats like James Stewart (“Bandolero”), Frank Sinatra (“Lady in Cement”), John Huston (“Myra Breckinridge”) and Burt Reynolds (“Death Comes Softly”). In 1973 she received the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy for her role in the film “The Three Musketeers”. Wel was married four times and divorced four times. Her first marriage has two children, Damon and Tahnee.
