Actor James Darren, who appeared in television series such as T.J. Hooker and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, as well as in films like Gidget, has passed away at the age of 88. According to TMZ, the veteran artist died suddenly while sleeping at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles on Monday night. At the time of writing the report, the cause of Darren’s death is still unknown, although Jim Moret, the actor’s son, told TMZ that his father was a patient in the cardiac care unit at Cedars-Sinai due to heart issues.
It is believed that during Darren’s first hospital visit for an aortic valve replacement, it was discovered that he was too weak to safely undergo the surgery. He was then sent home but quickly returned to the hospital. ‘I always thought he would pull through,’ said his son Jim. ‘Because he was so cool. He was always cool.
Darren became known as a teen idol after landing the role of surfer Moondoggie in the 1959 film Gidget. He reprised the same role in the two sequels, Gidget Goes Hawaiian and Gidget Goes to Rome. James Darren has passed away: ‘Gidget,’ ‘T.J. Hooker’ star was 88 years old. In T.J. Hooker, he played the character Jim Corrigan, a police officer, in a recurring role. He made a total of 66 appearances over four seasons.
In addition to his acting career, James was also a singer and performed the theme song for Gidget. He is also said to have directed several episodes of television series, including The A-Team, Melrose Place, and Beverly Hills 90210. Rest in peace, James Darren.
