Hollywood’s popular socialite and actress Zsa Zsa Gabor, who oozed glamour and was known more for her extravagant lifestyle than her acting roles, breathed her last on Sunday at the age of 99. Celebrities — old and young — recounted how one-of-a-kind the ‘dahlink’ of the industry was.
A Hungarian who emigrated to the US during World War II, Gabor suffered a heart attack and died surrounded by her loved ones and friends at her home in Bel-Air here, reported dailymail.co.uk.
Frederic von Anhalt, her ninth husband, who was tearful, said: “Everybody was there. She didn’t die alone.”
Gabor, born as Sári Gábor, featured in films like “Moulin Rouge”, “Queen of Outer Space”, “Lovely to Look At” and “We’re Not Married” to her credit, earning prominence on the silver screen in the 1950s and 1960s. She appeared in over 70 films, but she grabbed more eyeballs for her string of marriages to wealthy men, her flamboyance and glamorous socialite lifestyle.
She was also known for addressing people as ‘dahlink’ in her heavy Hungarian accent, and in the bargain, had become quite the ‘dahlink’ of the industry — also given her candid comments on her colourful love life.
The outspoken diva once said: “I am a marvellous housekeeper. Every time I leave a man, I keep his house.”
She had married nine times, and her former spouses included hotel magnate Conrad Hilton and Oscar-winning actor George Sanders.
In his autobiography “Memoirs of a Professional Cad” which was published in 1960, Sanders wrote: “Every age has its Madame Pompadour, its Lady Hamilton, its Queen of Sheba, its Cleopatra, and I wouldn’t be surprised if history singles out Zsa Zsa as its 20th century prototype of this exclusive coterie.”
Film fraternity members paid heartfelt tributes to Gabor upon hearing the news of her demise.
Larry King, who was part of a private birthday celebration that Gabor had in 2012, posted on social media: “There will only be one Zsa Zsa Gabor. And, I liked her a lot.”
A tweet from actor Humphrey Bogart’s Bogart Estate handle read: “2016 has claimed much more than its fair share of stars.”
Gabor dealt with a number of health troubles after being involved in a car accident in 2002, which caused her to become partially paralysed. In 2012, she was hospitalised for a severe throat infection, and in 2011, her right leg was amputated above the knee after doctors found an infection and antibiotics failed to cure it.
English actress Gwendoline Christie and American actress Grace Byers bid “goodbye” to the actress. TV personalities Piers Morgan and Andy Cohen expressed their condolences for her via Twitter.
Younger celebrities like Paris Hilton and Miley Cyrus also shared their tributes.
While Paris Hilton was “sad to hear the news of Zsa Zsa Gabor’s passing”, Cyrus tweeted that she was “beyond inspired” by Gabor.
And so have been Gabor’s several fans.
