Denise DuBarry was a television actress known for her roles on programs such as CHiPs and
Black Sheep Squadron. Later in her life, Denise became equally well known for her
charitable endeavors. Sadly, the actress’s life was cut short while she was still doing some of
her best work. In her early 60s, Denise passed away. The reason for her passing will shock you!
Join Facts Verse as we explore how beauty Denise DuBarry was taken too soon by this rare illness.
Denise DuBarry Passed Away From a Rare Illness In March 2019, television actress Denise DuBarry
passed away at the age of only 63. Earlier in her career, Denise had been best known for her
numerous iconic roles on the small screen. Some of the many notable programs that Denise appeared
on over the course of her early career include CHiPs and Black Sheep Squadron,
as well as The Love Boat and Days of Our Lives. The actress had broken out into prominence as
a young and beautiful celebrity, but she ended up becoming known more for her charitable work,
as well as her work behind the scenes, by the end of her life.
When Denise DuBarry passed, the news came as a shock to many. One of the people that was most
devastated by Denise’s passing was her late second husband, William Hay. Denise had been married
twice over the course of her lifetime, with her first husband being an actor by the name of Gary
Lockwood. Gary is best known for his role in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space
Odyssey. In the film, Gary played astronaut Dr. Frank Poole. Denise and Gary tied the knot in
1982, but their marriage only lasted until 1988. Several years after the divorce, Denise tied the
knot with second husband William Hay in 1992. This second marriage proved much more successful than
the first, with Denise and second husband William staying together until the actress’s death.
Even more surprising than Denise DuBarry’s untimely death was its cause. Upon the initial
announcement, there was only an obscure reason given for Denise’s passing. The announcement
claimed that the actress had passed away as a result of a rare and deadly fungus. Later,
more details would be given. Denise’s death occurred on a Saturday,
and the date was just a little over two weeks past the actress’s 63rd birthday.
Though the actress was undeniably in her twilight years, those close to
her believed that she still had a lot of great work left to do. Sadly, her life was cut short.
Denise Was a Television Star Thanks to CHiPs As far as her acting career was concerned,
Denise’s most memorable roles were the ones she played on the aforementioned programs CHiPs and
Black Sheep Squadron. On CHiPs, Denise was tasked with playing the character of Sue.
Denise lent some much-needed femininity to the show’s mostly-male cast. Of course, the star of
CHiPs was Erik Estrada, who played the character of Officer Francis Llewelyn Poncherello. If CHiPs
was the most notable program that Denise appeared in, then Black Sheep Squadron was
the second-most notable. In the series, Denise played the character of Nurse Samantha Green.
Besides her big roles in the two aforementioned series, Denise DuBarry also took on many smaller
roles during her early acting career that proved nearly as memorable. As we’ve already established,
she appeared on the programs Days of Our Lives and The Love Boat. However, she also appeared in
Charlie’s Angels. Though the majority of Denise’s iconic roles were on the small screen,
the actress also graced the big screen in 1979’s Being There. Being There was a dramedy
starring Peter Sellers that received immense critical claim and ended up becoming a huge hit.
To the general public, Denise DuBarry will always be remembered most fondly for her
work as an actress. However, later in life, Denise started taking up some other roles
in the entertainment industry. On top of that, Denise also became fairly active in
the world of charity. Over the course of the 1990s, Denise started appearing less and less
on the screen and started working more and more behind the scenes. The actress is credited with
making moves to help bring the entertainment industry away from the Inland Empire and into
the Coachella Valley. The Inland Empire has always had a monopoly on film productions,
and Denise felt that this didn’t need to be the case. By the end of her life, Denise would become
the president of an organization by the name of Palm Springs Women in Film and Television.
Denise DuBarry Was an Entrepreneur and Philanthropist
In addition to her work with Palm Springs Women in Film and Television, which helped
bring more Hollywood productions to the Coachella Valley, Denise also worked with a notable youth
charity during her later years. That charitable organization goes by the name of Olive Crest,
and it helps at-risk youth. Denise also became known as a bit of an entrepreneur during her
later years, founding her own production and marketing companies. The production company
was named Blue Moxie Entertainment, while the marketing company was named Kaswit, Inc.
Years later, DuBarry founded her own production company called Blue Moxie Entertainment as well
as her own marketing company called Kaswit, Inc. In the years leading up to Denise’s death, her
production company shot a couple of films that ended up having their premiered
at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. One of these films was called
Do It or Die, and it was released in 2017. Another was called Walk to
Vegas, and it was released in 2019. Of course, 2019 also happened to be the year of her death.
Denise’s off-the-screen work in the entertainment industry didn’t go unnoticed. In 1998,
Response Magazine named the actress the Entrepreneur of the Year. A few years later,
in the year 2000, the Desert Sun included the actress on its list of the “21 People
Leading Us Into the 21st Century”. It was a fellow worker in the entertainment industry
that ended up inviting Denise to work with the aforementioned at-risk youth charity
Olive Crest. This worker was a producer by the name of Kim Waltrip. Kim saw how
passionate Denise was about charitable causes and invited her to join the group’s board.
Many Praised Denise Upon Her Untimely Passing In the wake of Denise’s tragic and untimely
passing, Kim Waltrip was one of many people that publicly paid their respect. According to Kim,
Denise was a woman who was ahead of her time in many ways. She was a businesswoman who was always
the epitome of class, and she always put others in front of her. Kim also claimed that Denise
was incredibly generous when it came to her charitable work with Olive Crest. Whenever
the kids at Olive Crest needed anything, Denise would also be sure to get it for them.
Another person who had a lot of kind words to share about Denise DuBarry after the actress’s
passing was Mary Bono. Of course, Mary is known as the late wife of Sonny Bono. Mary followed
her late husband into politics, becoming a notable congresswoman. Like Kim Waltrip,
Mary praised the late Denise DuBarry’s business sense and charitable heart. Denise’s
own children also shared kind words about their mother after her passing. Daughter Whitney Hay
took to Instagram to share that she believed her mother’s love and warmth lit up the room like a
bonfire whenever she was present. Besides Whitney Hay, Denise also had another daughter. Denise’s
other daughter is named Samantha Lockwood, and she followed her mother’s footsteps into the
entertainment industry by becoming an actress herself. Upon her mother’s passing, Samantha
took to social media to share a picture that she had taken with her mother in Hawaii.
Besides her two aforementioned daughters, the late Denise DuBarry also had a pair of
sons by the names of Adam and Kyle. Following Denise’s passing in March of 2019, a celebration
of the actress’s life was held in April. Around the same time, it was finally revealed what the
specific fungus was that had taken her life. In 2016, a deadly fungus by the name of Candida
auris first started showing up in America. The fungus proved deadly, and Denise was far from
the first person to have her life taken by it. In addition to Denise, there are also a few other
actresses in recent years that have passed away as a result of infections or a fungus.
Other Celebrities That Passed Away From Fungal Infections
In 2009, actress Brittany Murphy passed away at the tragically young age of only 32. The death
shocked the world, and many understandably assumed that Brittany must’ve been involved
in some pretty messed-up stuff that caused her passing. Some spread rumors
that the famously slender actress had passed away as a result of an eating
disorder. Others claimed that they believed Brittany has passed away as a result of a drug
overdose. It would be a while before the public learned the truth about her death.
Upon her passing, Brittany Murphy was living with her first and only
husband. That husband’s name was Simon Monjack, and he was a screenwriter. Several months after
Brittany’s passing in December of 2009, Simon passed away in May of 2010. At the time,
Brittany’s death was still largely a mystery. Meanwhile,
Simon’s death was attributed to heart failure. A short time later, the public would finally learn
the truth about what had caused the passing of this celebrity couple. As it turns out,
it was the same thing that killed both Brittany Murphy and her husband, and that thing was mold.
Tanya Roberts is another celebrity that passed away as a result of a
fungal infection. As compared to contaminants in the air, Tanya’s fungal infection came about
as a result of a particularly nasty urinary tract infection, or UTI. Tanya’s UTI turned into sepsis,
and the actress ended up passing away as a result of it just recently, in January of 2021.
As all of the aforementioned celebrity stories prove, fungal infections can be incredibly deadly!
Now it’s time to hear from you: did you know that CHiPs actress Denise
DuBarry passed away as a result of a rare illness and that she became
known for her charitable endeavors later in life? Comment down below!