Actor James Darren, who appeared in TV series including T.J. Hooker and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as well as films like Gidget, passed away at the age of 88. According to TMZ, the seasoned entertainer passed unexpectedly on Monday night at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles while dozing off.
As of the time of writing, Darren’s cause of death is still unknown, although Jim Moret, the actor’s son, reportedly informed TMZ that his father was a patient at Cedars-Sinai’s cardiac unit due to heart problems.
It’s thought that when Darren first visited the hospital for an aortic valve replacement, it was determined that he was too weak to have the surgery done safely. After that, he was sent home, but he soon went back to the hospital. His son Jim stated, “I always thought he would pull through because he was so cool.” He was cool all the time.
Darren became well-known as a teenage idol after being cast as surfer Moondoggie in the 1959 film Gidget. In Gidget Goes Hawaiian and Gidget Goes to Rome, the two sequels, he played the same character twice. In T.J. Hooker, the actor played Jim Corrigan, a police officer, in a recurring role. Over four seasons, he made 66 appearances in all.
Furthermore to his acting career, James was a singer and sang the Gidget theme song. According to accounts, he also directed several episodes of television series, including The A-Team, Melrose Place, Beverly Hills, and 90210. Peace be with you, Darren James.
