[Music] James Darren an actor director and singer who had his breakout role of moond doggy in the 1959 movie gigit died Monday at age 88 variety reported the Entertainer died at Ceda Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles according to variety citing his son Jim Moray a chief correspondent for Inside Edition CNN has sought comment from Darren's and morette's agents in response to a post paying tribute to Darren on X from singer Nancy Sinatra Moret responded Nancy my father loved you thank you so much for your kind and loving [Music] words Darren had a lengthy resume spanning across film and television starting as early as 1956 according to IMDb but his role in gigit helped him reach heartthrob status in the eyes of teenage movie goers in a 2015 interview with Los Angeles magazine he was asked when he first realized he was a Hollywood sensation the defining moment was when I was at a studio in San Francisco and word got out that I was there Darren said in the interview thousands of girls were screaming out front when I had to leave the building they tackled me to the ground and pulled pieces of my hair out the police had to rescue me and took me to the roof until things settled down it was total pandemonium in Gig Darren played Moon doggy a surfer who rescues the main character from a bed of kelp and eventually Becomes Her romantic interest he also appeared in two later gig movies 1961's gig goes Hawaiian and 1963's gig goes to Rome Darren also had supporting roles in the show The Time Tunnel TJ hooker alongside co-star William Shatner and Star Trek Deep Space 99 he also directed episodes of shows including Beverly Hills 902 10 and melo's place born in Philadelphia Darren studied acting in New York and eventually was signed to Columbia Pictures variety reported he is survived by his wife eie his three children and five grandchildren the outlet said