"My heart is torn but full of love" — Nancy Sinatra and William Shatner pay tribute to James Darren after his death at 88

Actor and singer James Darren passed away on Monday, September 2, 2024, at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles at 88. Variety reported a statement by James' son Jim Moret, who stated that he managed to express his love to his family even while he was in the hospital. Moret further mentioned:

"He was a good man. He was very talented. He was forever young."

Moret further spoke about James' iconic role as Moondoggie in the movie Gidget and mentioned how much he embraced it. Darren's tragic demise had not just saddened his family, but also several celebrities had sent tributes to the late actor. Nancy Sinatra, daughter of Frank Sinatra wrote on X,

"One of my dearest, closest friends in all the world, of all my life has passed away. Godfather to my daughter, AJ. Wishing him a fast & beautiful journey through the Universe & beyond... My heart is torn but full of love for Evy, Christian, Anthony & Jimmy Jr."

Nancy shared a series of photographs with James Darren in them, as through the tweets. Canadian actor William Shatner too, took to X, formerly known as Twitter, and wrote:

"Jimmy Darren; I worked with him for several years and then we’d see each other on occasion. What a wonderful man - so talented; so loving."

Born in June 1936 in Philadelphia, Darren had left behind his wife Evy, children Christian, Anthony, Jimmy Jr., and five grandkids.

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Everything to know about James Darren, the talented actor who passed away on Monday

James Darren wasn't just an actor and singer, but a director as well. His first movie, Rumble on the Docks came out in 1956, and at that time he was signed with Columbia Pictures on a long-term contract. Fans seemingly loved Darren in the movie, and he reportedly received a number of fan mails too at that time.

While Darren was also a singer, in 2004, he told the Los Angeles Times,

"I wasn't really a singer. I was a kid in Philly whose dad would take him to bars and nightclubs and I would get up and sing two songs."

The late actor had made appearances in several TV shows. The list would include Melrose Place, Fantasy Island and TJ Hooker. One of his best works had undoubtedly been Gidget, which was officially released in 1959. The movie primarily resonated with the teen audience at that time. The teen movie further starred Sandra Dee and Cliff Robertson.

The late actor attracted a new generation of crowd when he decided to play the role of Vic Fontaine in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. James Darren has also directed a few episodes from several shows like Beverly Hills 90210 and Melrose Place. He was last seen in the 2017 movie Lucky, directed by John Carroll Lynch.

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Jim Moret told The Hollywood Reporter that Darren died in his sleep at the hospital. He further revealed that the late actor was expected to have an aortic valve replacement but was too weak for the procedure.