Tab Hunter, 1950s star, dies at 87

Press Trust of India  |  Los Angeles 

Hunter, Hollywood heart-throb of the 1950s famous for "Damn Yankees", "Pandemonium" and eponymous series "The Show", has died. He was 87.

"Tab passed away tonight three days shy of his 87th birthday. Please honour his memory by saying a prayer on his behalf. He would have liked that," read the post.

The was born as in in 1931 and later raised in

However, it was his agent Henry Willson, who gave him his on-stage name

His first film was 1950's "The Lawless" and he followed it up with "Island of Desire", "Gun Belt" and "Track of the Cat".

Hunter rose to prominence with 1955's "Battle Cry", in which he played a World War II soldier. His other major were 1956's "The Burning Hills" and 1958 musical "Damn Yankees".

The later found a younger cult audience when he played opposite the drag in John Waters' 1981 film "Polyester" and Paul Bartel's 1985 film "Lust in the Dust".

Apart from his hit movies, his recording of "Young Love" topped the Billboard pop chart in 1957.

For years, his personal life was a subject of with many reports claiming that the actor was gay.

He came out in his 2005 autobiography, "Tab Hunter Confidential: The Making of a Movie Star" and confessed to a relationship with "Psycho" star

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

First Published: Tue, July 10 2018. 15:10 IST