Legally Blonde actress Raquel Welch dead at 82

Legally Blonde actress Raquel Welch -- who won a Golden Globe in 1974 for her role in The Three Musketeers -- has passed away at the age of 82.

"The legendary bombshell actress of film, television and stage, passed away peacefully early this morning after a brief illness," a spokesperson for her management company Media Four told NBC News Feb. 15. "Her career spanned over 50 years starring in over 30 films and 50 television series and appearances."

Born in Chicago in September 1940, Raquel rose to international fame in the ‘60s thanks to back-to-back roles in Fantastic Voyage and One Million Years B.C., where she sported an iconic deerskin bikini.

"I was a bigger-than-life persona," she told AARP in 2011 about the role that thrust her into the spotlight, "before I was anyone in my own mind."

From there, Raquel was celebrated for both her acting skills and beauty as she was named one of Empire magazine's 100 Sexiest Stars in Film History and ranked No. 3 in Playboy's 100 Sexiest Stars of the 20th century in the '90s.