Bettie Page, the secretary-turned-model whose pin-up photos set the stage for the 1960s sexual revolution, died Thursday. She was 85.
Bettie Page's image, whether clothed, slightly clothed or unclothed, were always highlighted by her trademark bangs.
According to her agent Mark Roesler, Page suffered a heart attack last week in Los Angeles and never regained consciousness. Prior to the heart attack, she had been hospitalized for three weeks with pneumonia.
In January 1955 Playboy magazine chose her as Playmate. On Thursday night, Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner said: "The origins of what captures the imagination and creates a particular celebrity are sometimes difficult to define. Bettie Page was one of Playboy magazine's early playmates, and she became an iconic figure, influencing notions of beauty and fashion. Then she disappeared ... Many years later, Bettie resurfaced and we became friends. Her passing is very sad."
Bettie Page stopped modeling in 1957 and retreated into obscurity. She later became a born-again Christian, but also suffered through a period of depression and mental illness.
Later in her life, 40 years after her original photos, Page's photos and images somehow garnered, yet again, a cult following, and Page eventually resurfaced, giving interviews, but never allowing her picture to be taken.
Gretchen Mol portrayed her in the 2005 film "The Notorious Bettie Page."
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