Hollywood star Raquel Welch, who was a leading sex symbol in the 60s and 70s, has died.
Media report the action heroine actress passed away at the age of 82 after a brief illness.
Welch won a Golden Globe for her performance in The Three Musketeers in 1974 and was nominated for Right to Die in 1987.
She famously wore a deerskin bikini for her role in prehistoric drama One Million Years BC in 1966 which catapulted her to sex symbol status.
Her death was initially reported on Wednesday by TMZ.com, citing unnamed family members, and later by Hollywood trade publication Variety and the French news agency AFP, which cited her manager.
Welch came to the wide attention of moviegoers for her role in the 1966 sci-fi adventure Fantastic Voyage, followed by her iconic appearance later that year One Million Years B.C.
Although Welch had just a few lines of dialogue in B.C., memorable images of her appearance in a deer-skinned bikini made her a bestselling pinup that transformed her into a global sex symbol.
Other screen credits in the late 1960s and early 70s include starring roles in Bedazzled, Bandolero!, 100 Rifles, Myra Breckinridge and Hannie Caulder.
The brunette star’s portrayal of strong female characters was credited with reshaping the stereotype of the traditional sex symbol, and her rise to fame was also seen as eclipsing Hollywood’s embrace of the blonde bombshell.
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