Hollywood has lost another icon!
James Darren, best known for his role in the 1959 film “Gidget,” as well as his TV role decades later on “T.J. Hooker,” has passed on at the age of 88. The talented actor enjoyed the teen idol status at the beginning of his career.
A statement on his website says the actor passed away while asleep at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on Monday, September 2, 2024. James Darren’s son, Jim Moret, did not expect to lose his father because “he was always cool,” but he did. And now all of Hollywood is mourning the loss.
What Did James Darren Pass Away From?
According to his son, Jim Moret, James Darren passed away from heart complications. Moret said that his father initially went to a hospital for an aortic valve replacement. This major heart surgery procedure replaces a damaged or failing aortic valve with a new one.
The aortic valve is one of four valves in the heart that controls blood flow from the heart to the rest of the body. It must be replaced when it becomes narrowed by stenosis or leaky due to aortic regurgitation.
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Moret claims that while his father was willing to get the surgery, doctors were not ready to risk it because they deemed him too weak to endure the surgery. As a result, Darren was discharged and sent home. But he was later taken back to the hospital amid concerns for his deteriorating health.
Moret told Variety that Darren got the chance to “express his love for his family” while getting treatment and called him “a good man” who was “forever young.”
What Was James Darren Known For?
James Darren was best known for portraying Moondoggie in the “Gidget” films, which helped ignite the 1960s surfing craze. The “Gidget” movies helped him achieve teen idol status in Hollywood, which made him extremely popular with young ladies.
“The defining moment was when I was at a studio in San Francisco, and word got out that I was there,” Darren once said. “Thousands of girls were screaming out front. When I had to leave the building, they tackled me to the ground and pulled pieces of my hair out. The police had to rescue me and took me to the roof until things settled down.”
The late actor was born James Ercolani in Philadelphia in 1936 to Italian immigrant parents. He was a menace (the good kind) in school until he dropped out at 16. After dropping out, he started pursuing acting and was eventually noticed by a talent scout.
Was James Darren Ever Married?
James Darren was married twice. He first married Gloria Terlitsky, his childhood sweetheart, in 1955. The pair welcomed one son, Jim Moret, in 1956 before they separated in 1958. Their son got adopted by the third man Terlitsky married, and he took the last name Moret. The second woman Darren married was Evy Norlund, a former pageant winner.
The union yielded two sons: Christian in 1960 and Anthony in 1964. Darren was also the godfather of Nancy Sinatra’s daughter. She was among the many celebrities who paid tribute to him after news of his death went public.
The Philadelphia native studied under legendary acting coach Stella Adler in New York before signing with Columbia Pictures and making his motion picture debut in the 1956 drama “Rumble on the Docks,” per his website.
Though the movie was low-budget, Darren began receiving lots of fan mail. In 1957, he appeared in “Operation Mad Ball,” “The Brothers Rico,” and “The Tijuana Story,” and in 1958, he appeared in “Gunman’s Walk.”
His biggest role came in 1959’s “Gidget.” Sandra Dee starred as the titular hero in the surfer flick, with James Darren as her love interest, a surfer nicknamed Moondoggie. The film became a massive success and pushed California surf culture and the film’s stars into the mainstream.
“One of my dearest, closest friends in all the world, of all my life, has passed away,” Sinatra wrote on X.
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“Godfather to my daughter, AJ. Wishing him a fast & beautiful journey through the Universe & beyond. Godspeed, sweet Jimmy. My heart is torn but full of love for Evy, Christian, Anthony & Jimmy Jr,” she added.
Does James Darren Have Children?
Yes, “Gidget” star James Darren was survived by his wife and three kids. His first son, Jim Moret, is the product of his relationship with his high school sweetheart. However, he welcomed the other two boys with the woman he spent his life with until his death parted them.
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