[Archive 2023-02-16] US actress and model Raquel Welch dies at age 82

Historical archive — originally published 2023-02-16. This report records what was known on that date. It is not current news; subsequent events may have changed the situation. Wikinews closed in May 2026.

US actress and model Raquel Welch died yesterday in Los Angeles, California, Stephen LaManna, her manager, announced. She was 82 years old and had suffered a brief illness.

Welch was one of the most successful actresses of her time, with 30 film and 50 television roles throughout her career.

Jo-Raquel Tejada was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1940. She was raised in California, sweeping teen beauty pageants, then working as a local weather forecaster.

Divorced with two children, she lived in Texas, modelling for Neiman Marcus and working as a cocktail waitress.

In 1964, Welch returned to California, making cameos in the drama A House Is Not A Home and the musical Roustabout, earning her big break.

After her 1966 performance as a bikini-clad cavewoman in One Million Years B.C., Welch became an international sex symbol. In the 1970s, her portrayal of Constance de Bonacieux in the classic film The Three Musketeers won a Golden Globe award.

Source and licence

Text adapted from US actress and model Raquel Welch dies at age 82 by Wikinews contributors under CC BY 2.5. Paragraphs have been selected and abridged, and formatting adjusted. Contributor history.