The American actress and sex symbol raquel welch died at the age of 82 after a short illness. His son confirmed his death to the Washington Post, but did not give a specific cause.

Welch’s death was first reported by TMZ, citing family members, prompting fans and celebrities to post tributes to the iconic actress. Welch rose to fame with her roles in Fantastic Voyage and One Million Years BC in 1966.

She became a sex symbol for her role as a cavewoman in One Million Years BC, which was promoted with a poster showing the actress in a skimpy deerskin bikini. From there, Welch appeared in a number of films, TV shows and won a Golden Globe for her role as Constance de Bonacieux. in the new version of The Three Musketeers from 1974.

Welch was named one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in Movie History and was ranked third on Playboy’s 1995 list of the 100 Sexiest Stars of the 20th Century.

Her real name is Jo Raquel Tejada and she was born on September 5, 1940 in Chicago, Illinois to Bolivian immigrant father Armando Carlos Tejada Urquiz and Josephine Sarah Hall. She was the eldest of three siblings, James and Gayle Tejada. The family moved to San Diego, California when Welch was just 2 years old, where he regularly attended church with his mother. Welch began studying ballet at age 7, but gave up on that dream after 10 years when an instructor told her she didn’t have the right body type for professional ballet.

At the age of 14, Welch won beauty titles such as Miss Photogenic and Miss Contour. She would then go on to win Miss La Jolla and Miss San Diego, the most beautiful fair, at the San Diego County Fair. In the end, she was even named a California girl. After high school, Welch attended San Diego State College on a theater arts scholarship and married her high school sweetheart, James Welch, in 1959.

1963 Welch decided to move to Los Angeles to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a movie star. There she met former child star Patrick Curtis, who became her personal agent. He suggested it continue to use her ex-husband’s name to avoid being portrayed as a Hispanic actress.

His first foray into Hollywood came with small roles in two films, The house is not the home of Elvis Presley’s Roustabout. He also got spots in popular TV shows like Bewitched, The Virginian and McHale’s Navy.

Welch’s first major role was in the 1965 beach film A Swingin’ Summer. That same year, her photo from Life magazine caught the eye of producer Saul David’s wife, who recommended her for a contract with 20th Century Fox. The studio chose her for her first big break in Fantastic Voyage.

Welch also had roles in the 1969 western 100 Riles and played the transgender lead character Myra Breckinridge in the 1970 film. Welch has recently appeared in Lois & Clark, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Seinfeld, Spin City and CSI: Miami.