The star of ‘Time Tunnel’ was also a pop vocalist and a singing hologram on ‘Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.’
James Darren, the beloved teen star and pop artist known for his role as the laid-back surfer Moondoggie in the Gidget films, passed away on Monday at the age of 88. He also gained fame from his roles in the television series The Time Tunnel and T.J. Hooker.
His son Jim Moret, a correspondent for Inside Edition, shared with The Hollywood Reporter that Darren died peacefully in his sleep at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He had been hospitalized for an aortic valve replacement but was too weak to undergo the procedure and had returned home before needing to go back to the hospital.
“I always believed he would recover,” Moret reflected. “He was always so composed and cool.”