Bettie Page Dead

Pin-up model Bettie Page has died. She was hospitalized after a December 2, 2008, heart attack and then lapsed into a coma. She was 85 years old. Page, known for her long, dark hair and anything-goes poses, including nudity, was one of the first Playboy models.

Bettie Page is credited with ushering in a new era of acceptance of sexual expression in media, and was a catalyst for the sexual revolution in the 1960s.Official Site: Bettie Page ObituaryL.A. Now: Pinup queen Bettie Page dead at 85(December 11, 2008) Page grew up in poverty in Nashville, Tennessee, dreaming of being an actress. She began her modeling career in New York, where she turned heads with her sensuous curves, signature black hair and a devilish smile. In 1955, she was Playboy's Miss January.Official Site: Bettie Page Obituary

One of Page's most iconic looks was captured in a series of photographs taken by Irving Klaw, one of the original fetish photographers. The images show Page being spanked, wearing leather and see-through lingerie, brandishing whips and other poses that would go on to inspire bondage fashion. Despite her success as a pin-up model, Bettie Page vanished from public attention in the '60s, and became a born-again Christian. She came back into the public eye in the 1990s, but left her old self behind and rarely conducted interviews.SFGate: Sex symbol Bettie Page reportedly in coma (December 9, 2008)