There have been several Playboy Playmates who’ve met with tragic and untimely deaths, but none such as Dorothy Stratten, who was the reigning Playmate of the Year when she was murdered by her estranged husband in August of 1980. Here she is on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in April of that year, just after being crowned the 1980 Playmate of the Year and her career showing signs of really taking off.
During her very brief acting career, after her whirlwind ride to fame as a Playmate, Dorothy appeared in several TV shows and movies. Her most notable film, Galaxina, in which she played the title character, has since become sort of a cult favorite, and Dorothy; sort of a cult figure, due to the timing and manner of her demise 29 years ago today. For those wanting to know the sordid (but interesting) details of her murder, the guys at FindaDeath.com, who do some great research on these matters, have this on it.
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Such a tragedy – and only 20! She was on her way to being a big name Hollywood star. Probably would have become the best-known former Playmate, had she lived, especially with Bogdanovich at her side.
And she was dead just 4 months later. What a tragedy.
I was searching for Playmate deaths and found this. I was only 8 years old when she was killed but I do remember my older brother being all broken up over it. Such a beauty taken from the world far too soon.
She would have had a lot more mainstream success if she would have lived. I agree she probably would have been the most famous former Playmate, a good decade before Pam Anderson made it big.