Eve Meyer was a famous American pin-up model, motion picture actress, and film producer who worked with her husband Russ Meyer, a sexploitation filmmaker, in the 1950s and 1960s. She was also Playboy magazine’s Playmate of the Month in June 1955. But her life came to a tragic end on March 27, 1977, when she was killed in the Tenerife airport disaster, the deadliest accident in aviation history. Here is what you need to know about Eve Meyer and her cause of death.
Early Life and Career
Eve Meyer was born as Evelyn Eugene Turner on December 13, 1928, in Atlanta, Georgia. She started her career as a photographic model and appeared in various magazines and advertisements. She married Russ Meyer, a photographer and filmmaker, in 1952 and became his muse and collaborator. She posed for him in many pin-up photos and also appeared in some of his films, such as Operation Dames (1959) and Eve and the Handyman (1961). She also served as a producer or executive producer on many of his films, including Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970), which was co-written by Roger Ebert. Eve Meyer was known for her beauty, intelligence, and business acumen.
Tenerife Airport Disaster
On March 27, 1977, Eve Meyer was traveling from New York to South Africa via Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. She was on board Pan Am Flight 1736, a Boeing 747 that was parked on the runway at Los Rodeos Airport, waiting for clearance to take off. At the same time, another Boeing 747, KLM Flight 4805, was also on the runway, preparing to depart. Due to poor visibility, miscommunication, and human error, the KLM plane started to take off while the Pan Am plane was still on its way. The two planes collided at high speed, creating a massive fireball and killing 583 people out of 644 on both flights. Eve Meyer was one of the 335 passengers who died on the Pan Am plane. She was 48 years old.
Legacy and Impact
Eve Meyer’s death shocked and saddened her fans, friends, and family. Her husband Russ Meyer never remarried and continued to make films until his retirement in 1979. He died in 2004 at the age of 82. Eve Meyer is remembered as one of the most influential women in the history of sexploitation cinema and as a pioneer of independent film production. She is also recognized as one of the most iconic pin-up models of all time. Her films and photos are still admired and enjoyed by many people around the world.
