‘Romeo and Juliet’ star Olivia Hussey has died aged 73

Olivia Hussey, the actress best known for portraying Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 drama “Romeo and Juliet,” died surrounded by loved ones at her home on Friday. She was 73.

No cause of death was not disclosed.

“Olivia was a remarkable person whose warmth, wisdom and pure kindness touched the lives of all who knew her,” a statement on Hussey’s social media page said. “Olivia lived a life full of passion, love and dedication to art, spirituality and kindness to animals.”

The Argentine-born actress rose to fame when she was 15 years old, starring in the controversial two-time Oscar-winning drama “Romeo and Juliet” opposite Leonard Whiting, who portrayed Romeo.

Hussey won a Golden Globe for Most Promising Female Newcomer in the role, but she was not happy with how the production handled the sensitive scenes in which Eisley and Whiting – who were 15 and 16 – were filmed naked.

According to a sexual abuse lawsuit obtained by CNNthe co-stars claimed that Zeffirelli told the then-teenagers that “they must appear naked or the picture would fail.”

Over 55 years after the shooting, the performers revived a lawsuit against Paramount Pictures and home distribution company Criterion Collections for distributing the nude scene.

Hussey and Whiting suggested that the two film companies illegally distributed their nudity in a bedroom scene while redistributing the award-winning romance. The lawsuit was dismissed in October.

Whiting wrote a tribute to her co-star, saying “Rest in peace my beautiful Julie.”

“Olivia, we’ve shared so much since we were two sweet innocent children clinging to each other for dear life, as every picture of us attests,” Whiting said in a tribute. “You have never been afraid to fight to right everything wrong in this world.

“Rest now my beautiful Juliet, no wrongs can harm you now. And the world will remember your beauty inside and out forever.”

The film launched her acting career, and she went on to appear in dozens of projects, including 1978’s “Death on the Nile,” “The Cat and the Canary,” the television series “Murder, She Wrote,” and voice acting for “Star Wars” : The Old Republic” video game.

The award-winning actress had a stint starring in a number of horror films in the ’90s such as “Psycho IV: The Beginning” and a miniseries adaptation of Stephen King’s iconic novel “It.”

In 2008, the actress was diagnosed with breast cancer and it went into remission after she had a mastectomy, but Hussey told Express that new tumor appeared in 2018.

Clint Howard, who co-starred with Hussey in the 1995 comedy “Ice Cream Man,” shared his condolences on the Instagram post announcing her death.

“Olivia, you are such a wonderful light. You will shine forever! RIP,” Howard wrote.

Hussey is survived by her husband of many years David Glen Eisley, her three children Alex, Max and India and grandson Greyson.

“As we mourn this tremendous loss, we also celebrate Olivia’s lasting impact on our lives and the industry,” Hussey’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.”