Hollywood bombshell Stella Stevens dead at the age of 84

Hollywood bombshell and Golden Globe-winning actress Stella Stevens passed away at the age of 84. The news of Stevens' passing was originally reported on Friday by a number of publications, with some attributing it to her son Andrew Stevens, and some to both Andrew and the actress's longtime friend John O'Brien. Furthermore, Stevens passed away in Los Angeles on Friday following a long struggle with Alzheimer's disease, according to reports. In addition, Maria Calabrese, the founder of Green Life Media and Stevens' manager and friend, stated in a statement: "It was an honor and a privilege to have worked with Stella, who was one of the most wonderful and gifted people I have ever worked with." Calabrese continued, "She was an amazing animal lover, horse wrangler, rock-and-roller, so ahead of her time and so much more than a sex symbol — which her adoring fans admired, respected, and understood. What a tremendous body of work and loss. The O.G. of badass women." [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="976"] Image credit: BBC News[/caption] On another note, Stevens, who was born Estelle Eggleston in 1938, made her film debut in small roles in a number of 1959 films before receiving bigger roles in movies like Too Late Blues (1961), Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962), The Nutty Professor (1963), and The Silencers (1966), in which she starred alongside Bobby Darin, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lewis, and Dean Martin, respectively. Also read: Liam Neeson Admitted That He Doesn’t Like Filming Sex Scenes In Movies: ‘I Just Get Embarrassed’

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Stella Stevens later had numerous film and television appearances, notably in The Poseidon Adventure (1972) and Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold (1975), as well as in Bonanza, The Love Boat, Hart to Hart, Fantasy Island, Night Court, and many other shows. Stevens also worked as a model for Playboy on several occasions and was selected as the publication's Playmate of the Month in January 1960. She then appeared in two further issues in the following decade. According to Variety, she also ranked No. 27 on the magazine's ranking of the 100 Hottest Stars of the 20th Century. She once said, "It's been my heart's desire to direct since I started doing movies. I directed two films in the '70s and '80s (1979's The American Heroine and 1989's The Ranch). One was a feature-length documentary. But I've still not made my debut with a big film." [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="1400"] Image credit: Vulture[/caption] Moreover, Calabrese continued in her statement, "While I truly wish I could have done more for her toward the latter years of her career, I shared in her frustration, as she so wanted to make the leap from a triple-threat American icon to producer. Her wish, never realized, was to have three original Western scripts produced." In addition, even though she didn't achieve every career objective she had set for herself, Stevens once remarked, "I did the best I could with the tools I had and the opportunities given me." Lastly, according to reports, Stevens is survived by her son Andrew and three grandkids.