Film star Sandra Dee dies at 63

LOS ANGELES – Actress Sandra Dee, the blond beauty who attracted a large teen audience in the 1960s with films such as “Gidget” and “Tammy and the Doctor” and had a headlined marriage to pop singer Bobby Darin, died Sunday. She was 63.

Dee died at 5:57 a.m. at Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center in Thousand Oaks, Calif., a nursing supervisor said.

Dee died of complications from kidney disease after nearly two weeks in the hospital, said Steve Blauner, a longtime family friend who represents Darin’s estate. Blauner said she had been on dialysis for about four years.

The family plans to hold private funeral services.

At Universal Studios, Dee was cast mostly in teen movies such as “The Reluctant Debutante,” “The Restless Years,” “Tammy Tell Me True” and “Take Her She’s Mine.”

She occasionally had secondary roles in other films such as “Imitation of Life,” “A Portrait in Black” and “Romanoff and Juliet.”

After a one-month courtship, Dee married Darin in Elizabeth, N.J., in 1960. A son, Dodd Mitchell, was born to the couple the following year.

In 1965, with her divorce from Darin dampening her teen appeal, Dee was dropped by Universal.

Born Alexandra Zuck on April 23, 1941, in Bayonne, N.J., Dee became a model while in grade school and eventually moved into film stardom.