(GoRealNewsNow.com) – Famous for his roles in “Gidget” and “T.J. Hooker,” 1980s TV star James Darren has passed away peacefully at the age of 88 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
According to a statement on his website, Darren’s son, “Inside Edition” correspondent Jim Moret, stated that his father had been scheduled for an aortic valve replacement surgery. Still, doctors deemed him too weak to undergo the procedure.
“I always thought he would pull through because he was so cool. He was always cool,” Moret shared.
Darren’s career in Hollywood was multifaceted. He acted, sang, and even directed episodes of TV shows like “Beverly Hills, 90210” and “Melrose Place.”
Moreover, his directing career spanned about two years, during which he also worked on shows like “Walker, Texas Ranger” and “Hunter.”
The 1980s brought him another major role as Officer Jim Corrigan on the TV cop show “T.J. Hooker,” which became one of his most successful performances.
As part of his career, Darren released two hit singles, “Goodbye Cruel World” and “Her Royal Majesty,” both of which cracked the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Darren remained a familiar face on TV, starring in the sci-fi series “The Time Tunnel” in the late 1960s. He made guest appearances on several shows, including “The Love Boat,” “Hawaii Five-O,” and “Fantasy Island.”
In the 1980s, Darren became a series regular on “T.J. Hooker,” alongside William Shatner, for four seasons. He also appeared in several episodes of “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.”
His final film role was in the 2017 movie “Lucky,” directed by John Carroll Lynch.
Born James Ercolani in 1936, Darren grew up in South Philadelphia before getting his big break in New York City in 1958. Soon after being discovered by a talent scout, Darren signed with Columbia Pictures.
He married his first wife, Gloria, in 1955, and they had a son, Moret—a former CNN anchorman.
After their divorce, Darren married Danish model Evy Norlund, who had been a Miss Universe contestant. They had two sons, Christian and Anthony.
Darren was also the godfather of Nancy Sinatra’s daughter, A.J. Lambert.
Sinatra paid tribute to Darren on X, writing, “One of my dearest, closest friends in all the world, of all my life has passed away. Godfather to my daughter, AJ.”
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