Olivia Hussey, “Romeo & Juliet” Star, Dies at 73

Olivia Hussey, who shot to fame as a teenager in the 1968 adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, has died, according to a statement published on her Instagram account. She was 73.

Hussey died on Friday, Dec. 27, “peacefully at her home surrounded by her loved ones,” the statement read.

“Olivia was a remarkable person whose warmth, wisdom, and pure kindness touched the lives of all who knew her,” her family continued, later describing her life as one “full of passion, love, and dedication to the arts, spirituality, and kindness towards animals.”

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Hussey is survived by her children, Alex, Max and India; her husband, musician David Glen Eisley and her grandson, Greyson.

“As we grieve this immense loss, we also celebrate Olivia’s enduring impact on our lives and the industry,” her family’s statement concluded. “We thank you for your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time and ask for privacy as we mourn the loss of a truly special soul.”

Hussey was born on April 17, 1951, in Buenos Aires and moved to London as a child. She started acting at 13 and had minor roles in films before she was cast in director Franco Zeffirelli’s Romeo & Juliet.

Once the film hit theaters in 1968, it became a box office sensation and was notable for being the first time a movie featured actors close to the ages of Shakespeare’s doomed lovers. Hussey was 16 and her costar, Leonard Whiting, was 17.

"So much happened so fast," Hussey told PEOPLE in July 2018 when she was promoting her memoir The Girl on the Balcony. "It was overnight superstardom and I wasn't prepared for it."

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After Romeo & Juliet, Hussey continued starring on stage and screen. In 1977, she played Mary, mother of Jesus, in the all-star TV miniseries Jesus of Nazareth. Hussey also starred in the 1974 horror film Black Christmas and the 1990 miniseries based on Stephen King’s It. She also starred in an episode of Boy Meets World and played Norman Bates’ mother in Psycho IV: The Beginning.

She stepped back from acting in 2016 after making her final film appearance in 2015’s Social Suicide.

Hussey was married to Dean Paul Martin, the late son of Dean Martin, from 1971 to 1979. She was married to Japanese singer Akira Fuse in the 1980s before she married Eisley in 1991.

In 2008, Hussey was diagnosed with breast cancer. It went into remission after she had a mastectomy, but Hussey told Express in 2018 doctors found a new tumor.

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"I regret that I didn't stretch myself more as an actress, take on meatier roles,” she told Express. “But I took time off to live my life and raise three children. At the time that was more important than working on my career. Overall I've done a couple of roles I'm proud of and I'm very happy in my life."

India Eisley, who starred in The Secret Life of the American Teenager, told PEOPLE in 2018 that her mother is “wonderful and quaint,” but “very resilient and strong.”

"She instilled in myself and my brothers… having a good sense of self,” India, 31, said. “Because you can’t really base everything, especially in this business… on what everyone thinks of you.”

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