Raquel Welch Died of Cardiac Arrest, Had Alzheimer’s Disease

Raquel Welch died of cardiac arrest, according to a death certificate obtained by TMZ and reviewed by Rolling Stone.

The actress died on Feb. 15 at the age of 82, with her manager saying at the time that Welch “passed away peacefully early this morning after a brief illness.” The death certificate lists cardiac arrest as the immediate cause of death, though it also notes that Welch was suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease.

Welch enjoyed a 50-year career as an actress, breaking through in 1966 with roles in One Million Years B.C. and Fantastic Voyage. She was an immediate sensation, a tabloid fixture, and an era-defining sex symbol (a label she occasionally embraced but often scrutinized and pushed back on over the course of her career). 

During her Sixties and Seventies heyday, Welch appeared in hits like Bedazzled, 100 Rifles, the adaptation of Gore Vidal’s Myra Breckinridge, and the “Roller Games” sports drama Kansas City Bomber. In 1974, she won a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy for her performance in The Three Musketeers; a few years later, she scored another Golden Globe nomination for playing a woman with A.L.S. who wishes for euthanasia in the made-for-TV movie, Right to Die. 

Later in her career, Welch popped up in flicks like Naked Gun 33 1/3 The Final Insult and made a memorable cameo as herself on Seinfeld. She also had a small but pivotal part in the 2001 comedy classic, Legally Blonde.