The passing of the world star of the fifties, James Darren

James Darren, the star of the 1950s romantic comedy series "Gidget," has died at the age of 88, his close friend and singer Nancy Sinatra has announced.

"One of my dearest and closest friends in the world, my entire life, James Darren, has passed away," Sinatra wrote in a tweet on Instagram, according to the French news channel BFM TV on Tuesday.

James Darren Death Details Darren died at Cedars-Sinai Hospital after being admitted to the cardiac intensive care unit and was too ill to undergo surgery.

According to a statement on his website, the actor died in his sleep at a Los Angeles medical center on Monday, September 2.

His son, Jim Moret, a reporter for the entertainment news program Inside Edition, told The Hollywood Reporter that his father went to the hospital to have his aortic valve replaced but was too ill to treat.

Meet James Darren Born James Ercolani, Darren was born in Philadelphia in 1936 to Italian immigrant parents. After leaving school at 16, he began acting and was discovered by a talent scout.

The late actor studied under legendary acting coach Stella Adler in New York before signing with Columbia Pictures, making his film debut in the 1956 drama Rumble on the Docks. Although the film was low-budget, Darren began receiving a lot of fan mail. His biggest role was in the 1959 film Gidget, which was a huge success and launched his career.