T.J. Hooker and Star Trek actor James Darren dead at 88 years old as confirmed by family member

Beloved actor James Darren died at the age of 88 on Monday.

James is most known for his famous roles in movies like Gidget and TV shows such as T.J. Hooker and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. James' son Jim Moret confirmed with TMZ that the small screen star died peacefully in his sleep at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles , California. It's not clear what caused James' death; however, his son revealed that his famous dad was having heart problems and was being treated at the cardiac unit in Cedars-Sinai.

James first went to the hospital to get an aortic valve replacement, but was "but was deemed too weak to undergo the procedure," according to TMZ.

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Although James was sent home, he was later taken back to the hospital. Jim assumed that his dad would "pull through" in his condition.

“I always thought he would pull through,” Jim told The Hollywood Reporter, “Because he was so cool. He was always cool.”

In his day, James was a teen idol, getting his breakout role as the surfer known as Moondoggie in the 1959 hit film Gidget. Along with the two follow-up films, Gidget Goes Hawaiian and Gidget Goes to Rome.

During his TV career, James portrayed the character Jim Corrigan on the 1980s police drama T.J. Hooker, appearing in 66 episodes that spanned across four seasons. James also had a run in on television in the 1990s, scoring a recurring gig on Deep Space Nine as the holographic lounge singer Vic Fontaine.

Not only did James have an acting career, he also had a career in singing. James was the voice behind the Gidget theme song and also sang another record for the movie. On top of that, he reached No.3 on the Billboard charts in 1961 with his song Goodbye Cruel World.

Furthermore, he also directed different television episodes such as Melrose Place, Beverly Hills, 90210, and The A-Team alongside others.

James is survived by his wife Evy, sons Jim Moret, Christian Darren and Tony Darren in addition to his five grandchildren.

Several of James' fans have taken to X, formerly Twitter, to mourn the actor.

"Rip sir. Thank you for your contribution in Hollywood. Om Shanti!!!," one X user wrote. "Rest in peace, James Darren. I loved him in the Gidget movies!" Another penned. "We lost James Darren today. One of the greats," a third added.