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Sunni Welles, a former actor and singer who was among the women who accused Bill Cosby of sexual assault, has died, her son Shaun O’Banion announced on Twitter today. She was 72 years old.
Welles died Monday after a battle with lung cancer at a hospice in Downey, Calif., O’Banion told Deadline in a statement.
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Welles’ acting career began as a child at the age of 10, appearing on episodes of shows as popular as Leave it to the beaver and My three sons.
Related video: Concern for survivors after Cosby’s conviction overturned
She alleged at a press conference in 2015 that Cosby raped her twice as an aspiring singer in the mid-1960s by drugging her drink. She said Cosby invited her to a jazz club after meeting him on the set of I spy. Welles said the first time he attacked her she was drinking champagne; after the second time, she never saw him again. It really affected my confidence, ”Welles said. “My mom didn’t believe me at first either. You’ve been hurt on a level that a lot of people don’t quite understand. Yet to this day.
Cosby was released from jail in June after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned his 2018 sexual assault conviction, finding fault with the way prosecutors conducted a case against him after previously refusing to press charges.
In 1979, Welles moved to Nevada to perform as the principal dancer with the musical variety show Folies Bergère in Las Vegas. She also appeared in the television series Quincy, me and Trapper John, MD as well as the film by Steven Spielberg 1941. She then retired from acting to perform as a jazz soloist with her band Shiver, which toured California in the late 90s.
His credits also include the 2004 short film Lift, written and directed by O’Banion.
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