March 23 (UPI) -- Valerie Perrine, best known for her Oscar-nominated role as Lenny Bruce's wife in Lenny and as Lex Luthor's wife in two Superman movies, died Monday at age 82.
Perrine, who was a Las Vegas showgirl and was the first woman to appear topless on broadcast television, faced declining health from Parkinson's disease over the last decade.
Her death, at her home in Beverly Hills, was announced in a post on her Facebook page.
"It is with deep sadness that I share the heartbreaking news that Valerie has passed away," the post said. "She was a true inspiration who lived life to the fullest -- and what a magnificent life it was. The world feels less beautiful without her in it."
Perrine was born on Sept. 3, 1943, in Galveston, Texas, to a Scottish dancer and a U.S. Army lieutenant colonel who briefly attended the University of Arizona but dropped out to become a Vegas showgirl.
