Bettie Page died. I know she was 85, and that’s an impressively long time to stick around the mortal coil, but…damn. Bettie Page died. Bettie Page died. It’s ridiculous of course, but iconic celebrity, the people who really become legendary symbols, almost seem immortal. It’s tough to wrap one’s head around the absence of someone so celebrated.

She first appeared in Playboy Magazine as a model in 1955 (AbeBooks has two 1955 copies with her in, and even two books with her signature), and 53 years later, is still widely regarded and respected as a sex symbol, and one of the leading models of fantasy and fetish. And now, Bettie Page died.

The pin-up provocateur, sassy sexpot and all around dazzling dame had lived in California in later years, and stayed out of the camera’s eye, preferring her fans to remember her in her pin-up days.

Page died on December 11th in Los Angeles, as the result of a heart attack.

Want to learn more about Bettie Page? Get reading.