James Darren, an actor noted for his roles in films such as Gidget and television episodes such as T.J. Hooker and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, sadly passed away at the age of 88.
According to TMZ, the legendary entertainer sadly passed away while sleeping at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles on Monday.
Darren’s cause of d3ath is unknown at the time of writing, however the actor’s son, Jim Moret, informed TMZ that his father had heart problems and was a patient in Cedars-Sinai’s cardiac unit.
It is reported that Darren went to the hospital for an aortic valve replacement, but was found to be too frail to undertake the treatment safely.
He was then discharged home, but he returned to the hospital shortly after.
“I always assumed he would pull through,” his son Jim recalled, “since he was so calm. “He was always cool.”
Darren rose to notoriety as an adolescent heartthrob after playing surfer Moondoggie in the 1959 film Gidget. He repeated his role in the two sequels, Gidget Goes Hawaiian and Gidget Goes to Rome.
T.J. Hooker also featured the actor in a recurring role as police officer Jim Corrigan. He featured in a total of 66 episodes across four seasons.
In addition to performing, James was a singer who performed the theme song for Gidget. According to rumors, he directed episodes of series such as Melrose Place, Beverly Hills, 90210, and The A-Team, among others.
