Actor Tab Hunter dies at 86
Actor and '50s heartthrob Tab Hunter, best known for his roles in Battle Cry and Island of Desire, died Sunday. He was 86.
Hunter's husband, Allan Glaser, told the Los Angeles Times on Monday they were at home in Santa Barbara, California, when Hunter went into cardiac arrest after a blood clot in his leg went to his lung. "It was more important that Tab was known for being a good human being," Glaser said. "That was most important to him than being an actor and a recording artist. He didn't place importance on his movie career or his celebrity." Hunter was three days shy of turning 87.
Born Arthur Gelien, Hunter was discovered while working as a stable boy in Los Angeles, and his agent gave him the name Tab Hunter. He starred in movies like Track of the Cat and The Sea Chase, and recorded the song "Young Love," which was so successful his movie studio head, Warner Bros.' Jack Warner, launched Warner Bros. Records in 1958 in order to profit from Hunter's hit. Hunter was romantically linked to several actresses, after being forced to hide that he was gay and in relationships with men, including actor Anthony Perkins, the Times reports. After retiring from acting, Hunter moved to Santa Barbara to ride horses, and Glaser said he volunteered his time working with paralyzed veterans and animals.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Political cartoons for December 21Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include Christmas movies, AI sermons, and more
-
A luxury walking tour in Western AustraliaThe Week Recommends Walk through an ‘ancient forest’ and listen to the ‘gentle hushing’ of the upper canopy
-
What Nick Fuentes and the Groypers wantThe Explainer White supremacism has a new face in the US: a clean-cut 27-year-old with a vast social media following
-
Son arrested over killing of Rob and Michele ReinerSpeed Read Nick, the 32-year-old son of Hollywood director Rob Reiner, has been booked for the murder of his parents
-
Rob Reiner, wife dead in ‘apparent homicide’speed read The Reiners, found in their Los Angeles home, ‘had injuries consistent with being stabbed’
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literatureSpeed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
