The loss of any human life is tragic and is going to impact people that were closest to them. There also times when somebody may have touched the lives of thousands or millions and their death is profound.
Such happened with a former teen idol who died in his sleep at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles recently. His name is James Darren, and he died at the age of 88.
James Darren was an entertainer but he was best known for his role as Moondoggy in the Gidget film series. According to reports, “He had entered the hospital for an aortic valve replacement but was deemed too weak to have the surgery; he went home but had to return. ”
James Darren was born in 1936 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His parents were Italian immigrants but he got started as a singer and ended up acting.
It was in the 1959 film Gidget that he became best known for his role as Moondoggie. He went on to play the same part in two sequels, Gidget Goes Hawaiian and Gidget Goes to Rome.
In 1961, he wrote a song, Goodbye Cruel World the reached number three on the Billboard hot 100. He continued to act in a number of films and made guest appearances on television shows.
We will miss this actor and what he had to provide for us in the way of entertainment. We hope that his family finds peace during this difficult time.
