LOS ANGELES, Dec 19: Zsa Zsa Gabor, the Hungarian actress, known for her life full of glamour and glitz has died. She was 99.
The actress, whose love life always made headlines, passed away on Sunday, just two months shy of her 100th birthday, reported Variety.
According to her publicist Ed Lozzi Gabor died in her Bel Air mansion. She had been on life support for the last five years.
More than her work as an actress, Gabor was famous for her outlandish persona, extravagant lifestyle, penchant for calling everyone “dahling” and one-liners about her jewels, nine marriages and ex-husbands.
Her former spouses included hotel magnate Conrad Hilton and Oscar-winning actor and bon vivant George Sanders, who later married her sister Magda.
Gabor had a daughter, Francesca, during her 1942-46 marriage to Hilton, though Hilton reportedly believed Francesca was not his biological daughter, and the millionaire left her just USD 100,000 in his will. After spending much of her life contesting Hilton’s will, Francesca died destitute on January 6, 2015.
Her romantic dalliances even included a flirtation with screen legend Greta Garbo.
Born in Budapest, Zsa Zsa (born Sari) Gabor was crowned Miss Hungary in 1936 and followed her sister Eva to Hollywood. She got her foot in the showbiz door with MGM’s 1952 “Lovely to Look At” and got a bigger break that year with “Moulin Rouge.”
She also appeared in films including “Lili,” Orson Welles’ “Touch of Evil” and the 1958 camp classic “Queen of Outer Space.”
On TV, she appeared on “The Red Skelton Hour” “Playhouse 90” and “Matinee Theater.” She was featured in a 1960 TV adaptation of “Ninotchka” and guested on series including “Bonanza,” “Batman” and “The Facts of Life.”
Her theater credits include “Forty Carats” on Broadway and a touring production of Noel Coward’s “Blithe Spirit.”
Gabor also made headlines for her 1989 run-in with a Beverly Hills police officer, whom she slapped during a traffic stop. She was sentenced to three days in jail and ordered to pay USD 13,000 in court costs.
The incident was explored in 1991 documentary “The People vs Zsa Zsa Gabor,” and mocked, frequently by a willing Gabor herself, in movies from “Naked Gun 2½” to “A Very Brady Sequel” and series including “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”
In addition to her celebrity status, Gabor was author of 1970’s “How to Catch a Man,” considered a how-to guide for gold diggers.
Gabor’s survivors include her husband Prinz von Anhalt, who is some 30 years her junior.
Many celebrities took to Twitter to offer their condolences to Gabor.
The official Twitter account of Humphrey Bogart’s Bogart Estate posted, “2016 has claimed much more than its fair share of stars. The one and only Zsa Zsa Gabor, seen here with Lauren Bacall, has died at age 99.”
“Rest in peace Zsa Zsa Gabor. She and her sisters were lovely ladies who were always fun and delightful to be around,” tweeted Barbara Eden.
“Goodbye Zsa Zsa,” wrote Gwendoline Christie.
Nina Garcia posted, “I love to put on diamonds and beautiful evening gowns and make my girl-friends upset. Zsa Zsa Gabor”. (PTI)
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