Donna Douglas, who played the much loved television character, Elly Mae Clampett, in “The Beverly Hillbillies” lost her battle with pancreatic cancer on January 1st at Baton Rouge General Hospital.
While her age was widely reported as 81, her niece by marriage, Charlene Smith, confirmed that Ms. Douglas’s age was 82. Her IMDB profile lists her birthdate as September 26, 1933.
“She was Elly May until the day she died,” (Max) Baer (now the only surviving member of the “Hillbillies” cast) told the website 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.”
He said he last saw Douglas in January 2013 for an autograph signing in Los Angeles. He said she had pancreatic cancer for the last months of her life.
“But she was a very private person — nothing like me.” A friend told him Donna had a message for him: “Tell Maxie I thought I was going to get better.”
Read the full story: ‘Beverly Hillbillies’ star Donna Douglas dies at 82
While best known as Elly Mae, Douglas appeared in a number of other film and television roles. Among her best known performances were the 1966 Elvis Presley film, “Frankie & Johnnie” and a memorable appearance in “The Twilight Zone.”
Prior to her death, Douglas resided in Zachry, Louisiana where she settled after leaving Hollywood. Douglas is survived by her son, Danny Bourgeois, a brother, and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
