"Beverly Hillbillies" star Donna Douglas, who played the lovable blonde Elly May Clampett, passed away on New Year's Day. She was 82 years old.
Douglas' niece-in-law, Charlene Smith, confirmed to USA Today that the actress died of pancreatic cancer at Baton Rouge General Hospital.
Many outlets cited Douglas' age as 81, a fact Smith disputed.
"She was 82," Smith said, adding, "She's going to haunt me for that."
The "Beverly Hillbillies" propelled Douglas to national stardom, and she maintained her on-screen persona decades after the show went off the air.
"She was Elly May until the day she died," Max Baer Jr., who played Elly May's cousin, Jethro, told RumorFix.
"When I saw her for autograph signings or other gatherings, she always dressed the same with pink or blue, and of course those signature pigtails."
Baer is now the only living castmember of the hit 1960s sitcom. A friend told him that Douglas had a message for him before she passed: "Tell Maxie I thought I was going to get better."
Douglas was born in Pride, Louisiana, and was Miss Baton Rouge and Miss New Orleans before heading to Hollywood. The actress said she related to her backwoods-turned-millionaire character in many ways.
"Oh, yeah, it was just like a slice out of my life," she told The Advocate in a previous interview." I knew everything about Elly."
Although most Americans could not relate to the rags-to-riches story, millions of fans related to the characters and loved the Clampetts.
"So many kinds of people relate to Elly May," Douglas said, according to the Associated Press. "So many people love her, and that means a lot to me."
When the show ended in 1971, Douglas embarked on a gospel and country music singing career, and also wrote a children's book with biblical themes. Her family said she loved the Lord and frequently ministered to them.
She was a "very good Christian lady," Smith said. "We all loved her. Whenever she gave presents, they always came with (passages) from Scripture."
Douglas married and divorced twice, and had one child. She is survived by her son, three grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, a brother, and other extended family members, Smith reported.
