As we all know, celebrity deaths happen in threes. Given that Pete Postlethwaite passed, that left two more to go. The next celebrity to pass on was Anne Francis. The veteran actress, who starred in the incredible sci-fi classic Forbidden Planet before becoming a proto-feminist icon as the titular detective Honey West. Anne Francis died as a result of pancreatic cancer at a Santa Barbera, California, retirement home.
During the New Year’s Eve/Day Twilight Zone marathon, one of the prominent episodes was Anne Francis in “The After Hours.” She was beautiful, as she always was in those days, and she also gave a very good performance in her role, which I won’t spoil in case you haven’t seen it (I had not until then). Still, to me she’ll always be the beautiful alien Leslie Nielsen lusted after.
As befitting a sci-fi star, she was also one of the many celebrities from her time to leap into the digital age. Indeed, Anne kept a website and regularly updated it with news on her interests, her current health, and other news and views. Unfortunately, all that is at an end.
Tags: Forbidden Planet, Anne Francis, Honey West, The Twilight Zone, Anne Francis dead at 80, Anne Francis dead from cancer complications, cancer, obituaries, Hollywood, celebrities, Anne Francis dead