James Darren, Veteran of T.J. Hooker and Deep Space Nine, Dead at 88

Actor and singer James Darren, whose long showbiz career included memorable roles on T.J. Hooker and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, has died at the age of 88, our sister site Variety reports.

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He passed away on Monday at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, with his son Jim Moret saying of Darren: “He was a good man. He was very talented. He was forever young.”

Darren first rose to fame as leading man Moondoggie in the 1959 surf movie Gidget and climbed the charts with the 1961 hit “Goodbye Cruel World.” He later co-starred in movies like The Guns of Navarone and in the short-lived ABC sci-fi series The Time Tunnel . He was also a regular guest star on shows like The Love Boat and Fantasy Island before joining the cast of the William Shatner cop drama T.J. Hooker in Season 2. Darren played Officer Jim Corrigan, remaining a series regular until the show ended its run in 1986.

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Heather Locklear, who co-starred with Darren on T.J. Hooker , posted a tribute following his death: “One of my favorite people. We would always laugh so hard together. Rest in peace my dear friend.”

In 1996, Darren debuted as holographic lounge singer Vic Fontaine on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , providing Rat Pack-style entertainment in the holosuites of Quark’s bar. The character of Vic Fontaine became a fan favorite, with Darren appearing in a total of eight episodes, including the 1999 series finale.

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