James Darren, who became an instant teen idol as the boyish surfer Moondoggie in the “Gidget” movies and went on to a prolific career in TV and music, has died. He was 88.
Darren went to a Los Angeles hospital for scheduled heart surgery last week but was considered too weak to proceed and was sent home, his son Jim Moret told multiple media outlets. But his failing health forced a return to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he died in his sleep surrounded by family.
Born James Ercolani in Philadelphia, Darren was already using a stage name when he starred in “Gidget” in 1959 and its sequels. His fame was secured instantly by the ’50s surf-culture hit, and he soon parlayed that notoriety with a number three hit single with “Goodbye Cruel World” in 1961.
Darren charted several other pop hits, including “Her Royal Majesty” and “Conscience,” but soon transitioned to TV, starring in the science fiction series “The Time Tunnel” from 1966-1967; as a police officer on “T.J. Hooker” from 1983 to 1986; and as Vic Fontainel in the 1998-1999 spinoff “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.”
Darren kept his acting and singing career active as he transitioned into directing TV episodes, including installments of “Hunter,” “The A-Team” and “Silk Stalkings.”
Darren married Gloria Terlitsky in 1955, and the couple had one son, James Jr., before divorcing in 1958. Two years later, he remarried Evy Norlund, the former Miss Denmark, and they had two sons, Christian and Anthony.
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