Former teen queen Sandra Dee dies at 63

Los Angeles (ap)– Actress Sandra Dee, the blond beauty who attracted a large teen audience in the 1960s with films such as “Gidget” and “Tammy and the Doctor” and had a headlined marriage to pop singer Bobby Darin, died Sunday. She was 63.

Dee died at 5:57 a.m. at the Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center in Thousand Oaks, said Cynthia Mead, nursing supervisor.

She died of complications from kidney disease after nearly two weeks in the hospital, said Steve Blauner, a longtime family friend who represents Darin’s estate. Blauner said Dee had been on dialysis for about four years.

“She didn’t have a bad bone in her body,” he told The Associated Press in a phone interview. “When she was a big star in the pictures and a top five at the box office, she treated the grip the exact same way she treated the head of the studio. She meant it. She wasn’t phony.”

The family expected to hold private funeral services.

At Universal Studios, Dee was cast mostly in teen movies such as “The Reluctant Debutante,” “The Restless Years,” “Tammy Tell Me True” and “Take Her She’s Mine.”

Occasionally, she was able to do secondary roles in other films, such as “Imitation of Life,” “A Portrait In Black” and “Romanoff and Juliet.”

After a one-month courtship, Dee married Darin in Elizabeth, N.J., in 1960. A son, Dodd Mitchell, was born to the couple the following year.

In 1965, with her divorce from Darin dampening her teen appeal, Dee was dropped by Universal.

Dee made an independent film “Rosie!” (1968), starring with Rosalind Russell, but her movie career dwindled after that.

Her name was resuscitated in 1978 with the film “Grease,” which featured the song “Look At Me, I’m Sandra Dee” mocking her squeaky-clean image. But Dee didn’t mind, Blauner said.

“She always had a big laugh about it. She had a great sense of humor,” he said.

Kate Bosworth portrayed Dee in last year’s movie “Beyond the Sea,” a biography of Darin. Actor Kevin Spacey, who played Darin the film, has said Dee approved of the movie. “She called me…and said she loved it,” he said last year.

Singer John Raitt, Bonnie Raitt’s dad, dies

Los Angeles — John Raitt, the robust baritone who created the role of Billy Bigelow in the original New York production of “Carousel” and sang with Doris Day in the movie “Pajama Game,” died Sunday. He was 88.

Raitt, the father of singer Bonnie Raitt, died from complications of pneumonia at his Pacific Palisades home, his manager, James Fitzgerald, said in a statement.

In his later years, Raitt was overshadowed by the fame of his blues-singing daughter. He delighted in her success and approved of her campaigning for civil rights, peace and other causes. “She used to be known as John Raitt’s daughter; now I’m known as Bonnie Raitt’s father,” he observed.

After she had become a big attraction in pop music, they sometimes appeared together, singing duets with her song “Blowing Away” and his “Hey, There.”

Aerosmith singer, wife split

Los Angeles — Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler and his wife of 17 years, Teresa, are separating, the singer announced Sunday.

Tyler, 56, asked the public to respect his family’s privacy in a statement released through the band’s publicist, Mitch Schneider.

“Before the tabloid media makes more of this than it is, I am announcing that my wife, Teresa, and I are currently separated,” Tyler said. “We’re just a family trying to work through a difficult time. A little privacy and sensitivity — for Teresa, my children and myself — would be nice.”

The couple have two teenage children, Chelsea, 16, and Taj, 13.

Tyler is also the father of model Mia Tyler, 26, from a previous marriage to Cyrinda Fox, and actress Liv Tyler, 27, from a previous relationship with Bebe Buell.

Beckhams welcome third son

Madrid, Spain — Soccer star David Beckham’s wife, Victoria — formerly known as “Posh Spice” — gave birth Sunday to the couple’s third son, named Cruz.

Victoria Beckham, 30, gave birth to the 7-pound boy by planned Caesarean section at the Hospital Ruber Internacional in Madrid.

Cruz has two brothers: Brooklyn, 5, and Romeo, 2.

The marriage of Britain’s No. 1 celebrity couple grabbed headlines in April when a former personal aide, Rebecca Loos, claimed she and David Beckham had had a 10-day affair. He dismissed the claim as “ludicrous” and “absurd.”

In September, lawyers for the Beckhams said they were taking legal action against a British tabloid newspaper over an article which claimed their marriage was in trouble.

Victoria Beckham is a former member of the Spice Girls. David Beckham plays soccer for Real Madrid.

‘Hitch’ maintains greatest pull at the box office

Los Angeles — Will Smith’s romance “Hitch” remained the No. 1 weekend movie, narrowly beating Keanu Reeves’ demonic thriller “Constantine,” according to studio estimates Sunday.

“Because of Winn-Dixie” won bragging rights as the weekend’s family-film winner over the baby-with-superpowers comedy “Son of the Mask.” “Because of Winn-Dixie” opened at No. 3, and “Son of the Mask” took the No. 4 spot.

“Hitch,” with action star Smith playing a “date doctor” for romantically hopeless men, pushed its 10-day total to $90.1 million and will become the first movie released in 2005 to top the $100 million mark.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations:

1. “Hitch,” $31.8 million.

2. “Constantine,” $30.5 million.

3. “Because of Winn-Dixie,” $10.85 million.

4. “Son of the Mask,” $7.7 million.

5. “Million Dollar Baby,” $7.2 million.

6. “Are We There Yet?,” $6.5 million.

7. “Boogeyman,” $5.5 million.

8. “Pooh’s Heffalump Movie,” $4.4 million.

9. “The Aviator,” $4.2 million.

10. “Sideways,” $3.9 million.