Haji, best known for her role in the 1965 film Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, has died at the age of 67.
The Canadian actress, who was born Barbarella Catton, appeared in several other Russ Meyer films including Motor Psycho and Supervixens.
Haji’s friend, the actress Kitten Natividad, revealed the news on her Facebook page.
“I lost my dear friend Haji…. I Love you and miss you so so much…. RIP,” Kitten Natividad said.
Haji was spotted by Russ Meyer working as a dancer in a club and got her to read for a small part in his film Motor Psycho – eventually giving her the starring role.
In an interview Haji admitted she told Russ Meyer she “didn’t know the first thing about acting”.
“He told me, <<Don’t worry baby, just stick with me, I’ll teach you everything>>. So I just sort of did it, I wasn’t terrific, but it was fun,” she said.
Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, about three go-go dancers who embark upon a vengeful murder spree, is a favorite of Quentin Tarantino and is still popular on the arthouse film circuit.
Haji also appeared in films including Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, Bigfoot and John Cassavetes’ The Killing of a Chinese Bookie.
Her last film role was in Killer Drag Queens on Dope in 2003.
Haji was featured as one of the top 1,000 most glamorous women of the 20th Century, in the book Glamorous Girls of the Century by Steve Sullivan. She continued to perform live burlesque shows until last year.
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