I was sad to hear about Raquel Welch’s passing today. I had one encounter with her, back in the early 1980s, when I was a reporter for the UCLA Daily Bruin. She came to campus to speak, and I interviewed her beforehand, then walked with her and her husband to the event. Afterwards, I spoke with her again and walked with them back to their car. She was very friendly and it was a pleasant interview.
Much to my surprise, I got a call from her a day or so later… apparently, the National Enquirer, or some other scandal rag, was reporting that a fan came up to her at UCLA on her way back to her car and that her husband (I think his name was Andre, or something similar) physically assaulted him.
She asked if I’d be willing to make a statement that it wasn’t true. I said, of course, that I would be glad to. I don’t recall who I talked with after that… whether it was her lawyer, or somebody else, and if the story was either quashed or corrected instead after it ran… but I do remember that she sent me a nice note afterwards thanking me for my help.
It was an experience that left me feeling fond of Welch…and gave me an early lesson in the misery that fame can bring.
Good story.
Thank you for sharing your experience with Raquel Welch, Lee! Very heartwarming.
Tha no’s o lovey your books, being an Angelino. What’s knew with the cowboy or that nasty doctor
A nice insight. Of course you were respectful and helpful; not surprising. Nice to hear she equally had a quality character. This kind of interaction seems from a bygone era where people were grounded and considerate. Thanks for sharing. Didn’t know you were a Bruin. Our family too!
I’m starting to feel much older with all these icons from my childhood passing on.
Fame can strip the humanity from a person, turning them into a characature. Having the privilege of spending some time with a famous person beyond a selfie or an autograph can turn them back into a human being. Thanks for sharing that story. It helps the rest of us go beyond the image to the flesh and blood reality of someone most of us only knew as an icon.