celebrities
February 16, 2023 | 9:16 p.m
Photos from Raquel Welch’s last public sighting, six months before her death on Wednesday at the age of 82, show the ‘Fantastic Voyage’ actress getting a manicure in July 2022.
Welch was photographed en route to the nail and waxing salon J&J Beauty Lounge in Beverly Hills, where she was spotted leafing through magazines and sometimes in pain as a clerk, wearing pink glasses and a blue face mask, polished her fingernails before cutting them brightly painted .
It was a rare sighting from Welch, who has maintained a lower profile in recent years after a successful acting career.
In the photos, the 1960s sex symbol wears large gold hoop earrings, a white long sleeve shirt, black trousers, black heeled sandals and a straw fedora hat, which she took off for the manicure.
An unidentified friend accompanied Welch on the visit, and they held hands outside the salon.
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Actress Raquel Welch visited a nail salon in Beverly Hills in July 2022, her last public sighting before she died on Wednesday at the age of 82.
Welch wore a white top and black pants to her salon visit.
Her long resume includes Bedazzled, Myra Breckinridge, and a memorable turn on the sitcom Seinfeld.
Her cause of death was not disclosed, but her rep confirmed that she died after a short illness.
Wel put his hand on a pole in front of the nail salon.
A woman accompanied Welch to her salon visit. They were spotted holding hands.
The woman was holding several bags as she spoke to Welch.
Welch rose to fame in the 1960s with roles in Fantastic Voyage and One Million Years BC.
She looked happy in the salon and was in pain getting her nails done.
Her long Hollywood career included a Golden Globe win for The Three Musketeers.
How often she visited the Beverly Hills salon is unclear.
Welch has not made many public appearances in recent years.
It seemed like the manicurist painted her nails in a light color.
Welch seemed to exclaim during her manicure.
But the procedure also appeared to be painful.
She shared a moment of joy with her unknown friend in the salon.
Welch was married four times. In 2003 she separated from her last husband Richard Palmer.
In later years, she launched a successful line of wigs.
Friends and colleagues mourned her death on Wednesday.
The Post reached out to the Beauty Lounge on Thursday for comment.
Welch’s representatives confirmed her death in a statement to the Post on Wednesday, saying, “Raquel Welch, the legendary bombshell actress of film, television and stage, passed away peacefully this morning after a short illness.”
“The 82-year-old actress stormed into Hollywood with her first few roles in Hollywood [‘One Million Years B.C.’] and ‘Fantastic Voyage’. Her career spanned 50 years during which she starred in over 30 films and 50 television series and appearances. The Golden Globe winner has been involved with a very successful line of wigs in recent years. Raquel is survived by her two children, son Damon Welch and daughter Tahnee Welch.”
A cause of death was not announced.
Raquel Welch is seen running errands in Beverly Hills on November 9, 2017.BACKGRID
Welch appeared in Bedazzled, Myra Breckinridge, and a memorable episode of Seinfeld — but it was her turn on Fantastic Voyage that launched her career.
The Chicago native won a Golden Globe for her role in the 1973 film The Three Musketeers — and she’s starred in several TV shows, including the ’90s sitcom Spin City.
She told The Post in 2013 that one of her favorite gigs was playing Abby Lassiter in the Michael J. Fox comedy.
“I was Richard Kind’s mother,” Welch recalled. “That was the joke. Like, That’s your mother? What happened?’ Richard is a brilliant comedian. All I needed to be was straight forward. But I got to wear this beautiful Oscar de la Renta outfit.”
Raquel Welch speaks at the PORTER Hosts Incredible Women Gala in collaboration with Estee Lauder at NeueHouse Los Angeles on November 1, 2017. Donato Sardella/Getty Images for PORTER Magazine
Wel credited her success to her work ethic.
“I just have a lot of energy and I knew I had to use it,” she noted to The Post. “I wanted to get into the performing arts. I didn’t find that reality that interesting.”
Welch added, “The real world has been full of disappointments. I thought it would be so much more fun if you could dance and sing. The way I thought about the movies was a very different dead end than it is today. It was really a kind of art form removed from reality.”
Raquel Welch wears an animal skin bikini, which cemented her status as a sex symbol, in a promotional portrait issued for the 1966 film One Million Years BC. Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images Raquel Welch poses in a star-studded swimsuit for the film “Myra Breckinridge”.Bettmann Archive
Her last onscreen credits came in 2017. In later years, she launched a successful line of wigs.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of our friend and legendary beauty Raquel Welch. She has worked with us at HairUWear for 25 years and has been more than just a business partner,” HairUWear President and CEO Michael Napolitano told The Post in a statement Thursday.
“She was and still is an inspiration. We are honored to keep her memory, passion and timeless beauty alive through her legacy from Raquel Welch Wigs.”
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