Soldedad Miranda, Euro Goth Queen, Dies Too Soon -- August 18, 1970

With entrancing eyes, luminous skin, a lithe ballerina’s form, and an air of haunting sensuality naturally her own, gorgeous Goth icon Soldedad Miranda rose quickly to skinternational sex symbol status in a series of now-revered cult favorites.

And then, as only good things awaited the central figure of Vampyros Lesbos and Eugenie de Sade, fate snatched her from us and left a hole in exotic, erotic cinema that no other siren could possibly ever fill.

Soledad Miranda was tragically killed in a car accident on this date in 1970. She was 27 years old.

Soledad Miranda was born in Seville, Spain to parents of Portuguese descent. Her dream, from early on, was a career in show business, which she fulfilled as both an actress and a dancer when she was still a teen.

The Spanish took to Soledad Miranda immediately, and she appeared in numerous films. One production cast her opposite professional race car driver José Manuel da Conceiçao Simões. The pair fell in love, married, and had a son in 1967. This prompted Soledad to announce that she was through with making movies.

Her retirement lasted only two years, though, and shortly thereafter, Soledad met esteemed Spanish fright-filmmaker Jess Franco. She instantly became Franco’s muse and radiated indelible, mysterious allure in a rapid succession of masterworks: Nightmares Come at Night, She Killed in Ecstasy, Vampyros Lesbos, Eugenie de Sade, and The Devil Came From Akasava.

And then, nearing the completion of her final collaboration with Franco, Soledad and her husband were involved in a disastrous auto wreck. He escaped with just a few injuries, but Soledad’s wounds proved fatal.

With that, the world lost an incandescently spooky beauty, but the memory and appreciation of Soledad Miranda will never dim.

We love you, Soledad, from here to the other side of The Veil, and beyond.