Actor Troy Donahue dead at 65

Donahue in 1998

PACIFIC PALISADES, California (CNN) -- Troy Donahue, a blond-haired, blue-eyed actor who achieved teen heartthrob status in the 1950s and 60s, died Sunday in a California hospital.

Donahue, 65, died at 6 a.m. at Saint John's Hospital in Santa Monica, according to Bob Palmer, a family friend.

The actor had been admitted to the hospital Thursday after suffering a heart attack. An emergency angioplasty was successful, but Donahue then suffered a second heart attack, Palmer said. Donahue underwent bypass surgery Saturday.

RESOURCES Message Board: Remembering Troy Donahue

"They were trying to save him, and he didn't make it," Palmer said.

Born Merle Johnson in New York City in 1936, he followed the custom of many actors of the day and changed his name. His agent felt "Troy Donahue" had more marquee value.

Donahue had leading roles in movies "A Summer Place" (1959) with Sandra Dee, "Parrish" (1961) and "Palm Springs Weekend" (1963), as well as the television series "Surfside Six" (1960-1962).

Palmer said Donahue was married "at least twice," including once to Suzanne Pleshette, his co-star in "Rome Adventure" (1962) and "A Distant Trumpet" (1964).

Donahue leaves two children -- son Sean and daughter Janine -- a sister, Eve, and his fiancee, Zheng Cao, a mezzo-soprano singer whom he met 10 years ago on a cruise ship.

Connie Stevens, who co-starred with Donahue in three movies, visited him the night before he died.

"He was full of hope and trying his best," Stevens said.

Stevens said Donahue initially had some difficulty when his fame ebbed. In recent years, though, "I had never seen him happier, never more at peace with himself," she said.

"Troy just loved his life, loved women, loved his Harley, especially loved his fiancee," said Palmer, who knew the actor for 40 years. "He just wore life like a loose garment -- that's the way he was.

"He had a lot of fun, a great sense of humor," Palmer said. "He loved to make jokes about himself in his 8-by-10 glossy days. I've known a lot of actors, but this one was cool because he didn't take himself too seriously."