Many of us spend countless hours enjoying television and movies, and along the way, we get quite familiar with the actors, often feeling like we know them personally. So, when one of our beloved actors passes away, it feels especially heartbreaking.

It’s with a heavy heart that we share the news that James Darren has passed away at the age of 88. Known for his roles in TV shows like ‘T.J. Hooker,’ ‘Gidget,’ and ‘Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,’ Darren died peacefully in his sleep at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles.

Right now, the exact cause of Darren’s death isn’t clear, but his son, Jim Morris, mentioned that he had been dealing with heart issues while he was in the cardiac unit at Cedars-Sinai.

It has been rumored that Darren might have needed an aortic valve replacement, but he was too frail to undergo the surgery safely. Although he was sent home, he had to return to the hospital soon after.

His son Jim expressed his sentiments by saying, ”I always thought he would pull through because he was so cool. He was always cool.”

James Darren rose to fame in the late 1950s as a teen idol when he played the surfer Moondoggy on the TV show ‘Gidget.’ He continued this role into two sequels of the show.

Darren also portrayed the character Jim Corrigan, a police officer, in ‘T.J. Hooker,’ appearing in 66 episodes over four seasons.

Besides his acting career, he was also a singer and is said to have written the theme song for ‘Gidget.’ Our thoughts are with his family during this challenging time.