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James Darren, Beloved Star Of Gidget And T.J. Hooker, Dies At 88 After Being Hospitalized For Heart-Related Issues
James Darren, known for his roles in Gidget, T.J. Hooker, and more, has died at 88. The actor passed away following a hospitalization for heart issues, leaving behind a legacy in film, TV, and music.
James Darren, former teen idol who played the dreamy surfer Moondoggie in three Gidget movies before starring on television in The Time Tunnel and T.J. Hooker, has passed away at 88. Darren died in his sleep at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on Monday, August 2, according to his son Jim Moret, a correspondent for Inside Edition.
Moret told TMZ that his father entered the hospital for an aortic valve replacement but was sent home after being informed he was too weak to undergo the procedure. He, however, had to return to the medical facility.
“I always thought he would pull through,” Moret said in a statement to THR, “because he was so cool. He was always cool.”
Darren’s death was confirmed on social media by Nancy Sinatra, who counted him among her closest friends. “One of my dearest, closest friends in all the world, of all my life, has passed away,” she wrote via Instagram. “Godfather to my daughter, AJ [@aj.lambert]. Wishing him a fast and beautiful journey through the universe and beyond. Godspeed, sweet Jimmy, Jr. @jameswdarren,” she added, alongside two pictures—one featuring her daughter’s baptism and the second of her and him.
Born on June 8, 1936, in Philadelphia, Darren was a student of famed acting coach Stella Adler, for whom he commuted to New York regularly. Even though he could not surf and was a below-par swimmer, Darren got the role of Moondoggie opposite actresses such as Sandra Dee, Deborah Walley, and Cindy Carol. The actor starred with the divas in Gidget (1959), Gidget Goes Hawaiian (1961), and Gidget Goes to Rome (1963), respectively.
Darren was also a director and a singer. He demonstrated his direction abilities for the first time in 1986 as an emergency fill-in during the final season of T.J. Hooker. He went on to helm episodes of Melrose Place, Werewolf, Beverly Hills, 90210, Silk Stalkings, and more. As for his crooning talent, Darren’s greatest impact as a singer came with Gloria Shayne’s Goodbye Cruel World, which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1961. He again claimed a spot in the top 10 in 1962 with Her Royal Majesty, written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin. Darren sang Almost in Your Arms at the 1959 Academy Awards and It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World on the 1964 Oscar telecast.
He revived his singing career in the late ’90s when he appeared in several episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as the holographic lounge singer Vic Fontaine.
Darren married his childhood sweetheart Gloria Terlitsky in 1955, but the couple divorced in 1958. The actor then married Evy Norlund, a former Miss Denmark, in 1960 and remained her partner in life until his death. In addition to his wife and Moret, Darren’s survivors include his other sons, Christian and Anthony; grandchildren Amanda, Carly, Matthew, Natalie, and Nicholas; and goddaughter AJ Lambert.
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