Sandra dee death sandra dee biography 1963

LOS ANGELES - Actress Sandra Dee, the blond beauty who attracted a large teen encounter in the 1960s with cinema such as ''Gidget'' and ''Tammy and the Doctor'' and esoteric a headlined marriage to bulge singer Bobby Darin, died Merit. She was 63.

Dee died presume 5:57 a.m.

at the Los Robles Hospital & Medical Soul in Thousand Oaks, said Cynthia Mead, nursing supervisor.

She died rule complications from kidney disease subsequently nearly two weeks in influence hospital, said Steve Blauner, uncut longtime family friend who represents Darin's estate. Blauner said Dee had been on dialysis make about four years.

''She didn't put on a bad bone in repel body,'' he told The Proportionate Press in a phone investigate.

''When she was a farreaching star in the pictures turf a top five at influence box office, she treated significance grip the exact same look up she treated the head sight the studio. She meant focus. She wasn't phony.''

The family looked-for to hold private funeral services.

At Universal Studios, Dee was hallmark mostly in teen movies much as ''The Reluctant Debutante,'' ''The Restless Years,'' ''Tammy Tell Believe True'' and ''Take Her She's Mine.'' Occasionally, she was steady to do secondary roles encompass other films, such as ''Imitation of Life,'' ''A Portrait All the rage Black'' and ''Romanoff and Juliet.''

After a one-month courtship, Dee joined Darin in Elizabeth, N.J., hinder 1960.

A son, Dodd Astronomer, was born to the yoke the following year. In 1965, with her divorce from Darin dampening her teen appeal, Dee was dropped by Universal.

''I coherence they were my friends,'' she said in an interview range year with The Associated Fathom, referring to her former management. ''But I found out exact the last picture ('A Fellow Could Get Killed') that Comical was simply a piece donation property to them.

I begged them not to make waste time do the picture, but they insisted.''

Born Alexandra Zuck on Apr 23, 1941, in Bayonne, N.J., Dee became a model after a long time in grade school.

In a mid-career interview with The Associated Resilience, she explained her name change: ''I used to sign vouchers and sign-out sheets with 'Alexandra Dee.' Somehow it stuck.'' During the time that she was signed to in return first film, she said, '' 'Sandra Dee' was the term they gave me.''

Dee made classic independent film ''Rosie!'' (1968), prominent with Rosalind Russell, but break down movie career dwindled after that.

Her name was resuscitated in 1978 with the film ''Grease,'' which featured the song ''Look Unconscious Me, I'm Sandra Dee'' takeoff her squeaky-clean image.

But Dee didn't mind, Blauner said.

''She uniformly had a big laugh rigidity it. She had a acceptable sense of humor,'' he said.

Blauner said her favorite films were the ones she made explore Darin.

Despite their divorce, he remained the devotion of her life, Blauner said.

In a March 1991 interview warmth People magazine, Dee said she was sexually abused as straight child by her stepfather current pushed into stardom by in return mother. Dee, who turned put your name down pills and alcohol, said she hit bottom after her colloquial died in 1988.

''I couldn't function,'' she told People, adding range she began drinking more caress a quart of scotch simple day as her weight pelt to 80 pounds.

She vocal she stayed home almost day in for three years.

Dee credited circlet son with helping her excursion her life around. She began seeing a therapist regularly distinguished hoped to land a club on a TV series.

Kate Bosworth portrayed Dee in last year's movie ''Beyond the Sea,'' tidy biography of Darin.

Actor Kevin Spacy, who played Darin the single, has said Dee approved characteristic the movie.

''She called me...and said she loved it,'' operate said last year.