Legendary actress Raquel Welch, who cemented her career as a sex symbol in the 1960s, died at the age of 82. On Thursday, February 16, she died peacefully at home after suffering from a brief illness.

In the 1964s, Welch landed her first acting role next to Elvis Presley Roustabout. Her rise to fame came after she starred in 1966 hit One Million Years BC. Although only had 3 lines in the movie, she became a Hollywood sex symbol after her role as cave girl Loana donning the iconic deerskin bikini went viral in that age after being featured in the now iconic poster of the film. She went on to win a Golden Globe award in her career which spanned over 50 years.

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In the over 30 films and 50 television series that she starred Welch refused to strip naked for the camera or citing it is the way she has been brought up. Her decision annoyed Playboy mogul, Hugh Hefner and he did not want to work with Welch.

Raquel Welch’s Playboy photoshoot

The late Playboy publisher, once said, “Raquel Welch, one of the last of the classic sex symbols, came from the era when you could be considered the sexiest woman in the world without taking your clothes off.” Welch’s repeatedly turned down Hefner’s offer to pose nude for his magazine, until she eventually posed for Playboy in 1979, wearing a high-cut red swimsuit. Although he chose to keep her clothes on, the legendary actress received full payment for her work.

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She recalled the photo shoot and said, “I got called into the front office to speak with Hugh in his bathrobe. I went over to the mansion and I brought my lawyer with me and I sat there in front of him and I said, ‘What’s the problem Hugh?’ and he said, ‘Well there’s no tits and there’s no ass.”‘ “I said, ‘Isn’t that the deal we made?’ He said ‘Yes, but it’s boring,'” reported Glasgow Times.

Hefner later added in his defense, “she declined to do complete nudity, and I yielded gracefully. The pictures prove her point.”

Despite her icy equation with Hefner, Welch paid tribute to him on his death in September 2027. “I’m gonna miss you Hef. You were always a standup guy! XX Rocky #hughhefner #raquelwelch #rip #wellmissyou,” she wrote alongside a photo of her wearing a blue swimwear bottom from the Playboy shoot.