raquel tributes

Deborah Roberts and Reese Witherspoon among those to pay tribute to Raquel Welch 

Raquel died at home at the age of 82

Rebecca Lewis - Los Angeles
Los Angeles correspondentLos Angeles
February 16, 2023

Deborah Roberts and Reese Witherspoon are among those who have paid tribute to the late Raquel Welch, who died aged 82 on February 15. The actress died at home after a brief illness, her representatives confirmed.

"Just heard. Raquel Welch has died. She lit up movie screens for years with her beauty and charisma. What a life. She was 82," Deborah tweeted in the hours after Raquel's passing was confirmed.

WATCH: Stars gone too soon

Reese, who starred alongside Raquel in the hit 2001 film Legally Blonde, added: "So sad to hear about Raquel Welch's passing. I loved working with her on Legally Blonde. She was elegant, professional and glamorous beyond belief. Simply stunning."

The tweet continued: "May all her angels carry her home. Sending love to her family and her many fans."

In the film Raquel starred as Mrs. Windham Vandermark, the mother of Chutney Windham who alleges that her step-mother Brooke Taylor-Windham had murdered Chutney's father, Hayworth Windham. It later emerges that Chutney had accidentally killed her father after attempting to murder Brooke.

"We’ll never forget our remarkable friend Raquel Welch, one of our favorite guests on The Muppet Show," the official account for The Muppets posted on Twitter. "From dancing with a giant spider, to inspiring Fozzie Bear, and duetting with Miss Piggy, Raquel could do it all!"

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Reese paid tribute to the actress

Law & Order: Organized Crime star Christopher Meloni also paid tribute, tweeting: "Raquel Welch dying is a very weird feeling."

"This is so sad. I had the great pleasure of working with Ms. Welch when I was a regular on Sabrina the Teenage Witch and she was awesome," actor Paul Feig shared.

"Kind, funny and a true superstar whom I was pretty much in love with for most of my childhood," he added. "We’ve lost a true icon."

Deborah honored the actress with her tribute

"The legendary bombshell actress of film, television and stage, passed away peacefully early this morning after a brief illness," Raquel's manager said in a statement on February 15. "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," it concluded.

The actress was known for her roles in Fantastic Voyage and One Million Years B.C; her role in B.C only featured three lines but the images of the actress in a doe-skin bikini turned her into an icon of the 1960s and the poster sold millions.

Raquel won a Globe for her work in  The Three Musketeers

Raquel appeared in The Three Musketeers which starred Faye Dunaway and Charlton Heston, and which garnered Raquel a Golden Globe award for Best Motion Picture Actress in a Musical or Comedy in 1974, and she was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in Television Film for her performance in Right to Die (1987).

Raquel was married four times; in 1959 she married childhood sweetheart James Welch. The couple welcomed two children, son Damon and daughter Latanne 'Tahnee' Welch.

In 1967, after her divorce from James, she married producer Patrick Curtis but they ended their relationship in 1972. She was married to film and TV producer Andre Weinfeld for 10 years from 1980 to 1990, and Richard Palmer - the owner of Mulberry Street Pizzeria - from 1999 to 2004.

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