HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Bettie Page, who captured the hearts of many working as a pinup model, has died at the age of 85, The Associated Press reports.
Page passed away Thursday at a Los Angeles hospital after suffering a heart attack nine days ago, her agent, Mark Roesler, told AP. She had been hospitalized for three weeks with pneumonia prior to her heart attack.
“She captured the imagination of a generation of men and women with her free spirit and unabashed sensuality,” Roesler told AP. “She is the embodiment of beauty.”
Page is credited with setting the stage for the 1960s sexual revolution, thanks to her sexy photographs in bikinis and see-through lingerie during the ’50s. Among her notable achievements was her appearance as a centerfold in the January 1955 issue of Playboy magazine.
“I think that she was a remarkable lady, an iconic figure in pop culture who influenced sexuality, taste in fashion, someone who had a tremendous impact on our society,” Playboy founder Hugh Hefner told AP. “She was a very dear person.”
