James Darren, Gidget teen idol actor who rose to fame in the 1950s, has died at 88, according to Nancy Sinatra, who counted him among her closest friends.
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“One of my dearest, closest friends in all the world, of all my life has passed away,” she wrote on Instagram . “Godfather to my daughter, AJ.l ( @aj.lambert ). Wishing him a fast and beautiful journey through the Universe and beyond. Godspeed, sweet Jimmy. My heart is torn but full of love for Evy, Christian, Anthony and Jimmy, Jr. 💔 @jameswdarren ,” alongside two images — one featuring her daughter’s baptism and the second of her and Darren side-by-side.
Per outlet reports, his son, Inside Edition correspondent Jim Moret, said that his father died at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, after entering the hospital’s cardiac unit. He was deemed too weak to have a surgical aorta valve replacement and died in his sleep.
Born June 8, 1936 in Philadelphia, Darren was a student of famed acting coach Stella Adler, for whom he commuted to New York regularly. He starred as surfer Moondoggie (landing the part despite being unable to surf and being a weak swimmer) in all three Columbia Pictures’ romantic comedy Gidget films, from the 1959 original through subsequent sequels Gidget Goes Hawaiian (1961) and Gidget Goes to Rome (1963).
In addition to acting, he made a name for himself in the mid-1960s as a singer, after proving his vocal chops by performing the Gidget theme song, with hits like “Goodbye Cruel World” and “Her Royal Majesty.” It was this background that helped him land a portrayal as the holographic lounge singer Vic Fontaine in several episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in the ’90s, serving as a revival of his music career.
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He continued in Hollywood in the TV realm, with popular series like the 1966 sci-fi show The Time Tunnel and ’80s police drama T.J. Hooker , alongside William Shatner.
“Jimmy Darren; I worked with him for several years and then we’d see each other on occasion,” Shatner reflected on X following news of Darren’s death. “What a wonderful man – so talented; so loving. I had the best time with him. The world is less because of his loss.”
After working in television for decades, he moved into TV directing, working on shows like Melrose Place and Beverly Hills, 90210 in the nineties and aughts.
He is survived by his wife Evy, sons Moret, Christian Darren and Anthony Darren and five grandchildren.
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