The tragic passing of Jeff Conaway has been followed by the death of his 'Grease' co-star Annette Charles, who was found dead last night (4th August 2011) at her home in Los Angeles aged 63, reports Tmz.com.
The actress famously played Cha Cha in the 1978 movie - in one memorable scene dancing with John Travolta's character and proclaiming, "They call me Cha Cha because I'm the best dancer at St. Bernadette's". Her family are planning to release a statement within the next 24 hours but a close friend of the star said, "Annette had recently started having difficulty breathing ... and when she went to the doctor she learned that she had a cancerous tumour in one of her lungs". Charles had also featured in the television series' 'The Bionic Women', 'Barnaby Jones' and 'Emergency'. Her 'Grease' co-star Conaway died on 26th May 2011 after family members made the decision to switch off his life support machine. The actor, who played 'Kenicke' in the classic musical film, had previously been found unconscious at his home in California.
Annette Charles began working as a speech professor at California State University following her career on the big-screen.