Some of you are scratching your heads and going, “WHO?” but the rest of us are mourning the death of iconic actress Tura Satana, best known for her starring role in the Russ Meyer cult classic film, Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! Ms Satana was a model and exotic dancer who was hand picked by Meyer to star as Varla, a tough, karate chopping, vengeance seeking, leather clad leader of an all-girl gang. The 1965 film was beloved by exploitation film buffs around the world and was championed by John Waters and obviously very influential on the career of Quentin Tarantino. “Pussycat” was the high water mark of Ms Satana’s film career, appearing in only a handful of similar low budget films in the years following its release. The performer later worked as a nurse and as a dispatcher for the LA police department but was plagued by a number of health issues. In more recent years, she made frequent appearances at “Pussycat” screenings around the country, including an appearance at the Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival a few years back. The 75 year old icon passed away in Reno, Nevada on Friday, February 4. Details have not been released as to cause of death. For a longer obituary, go here.
A Toast to Tura Satana.
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She was 72 when she died and Pussycat was 1966…and she was not “plagued” with health issues! Please get facts right before writing a story like this. We expected more out of Seattle.
1)Reports vary as to her age; after all she was an actress and many performers tend to fudge their age. If you have a copy of her birth certificate, I’d be happy to change the age in the obit.
2)IMDB lists the release date as August 6, 1965. That’s good enough for me.
3)She broke her back in 1981 which resulted in numerous operations and hospitalizations over the years. I would have to say that qualifies as being plagued with health issues since it impacted her quality of life and ability to have a job. Also: she was old and she died…that indicates she had “health issues”.