30 November 2023 , 08:37
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Benidorm legend Sticky Vicky died of heart failure, her family have confirmed today.
The mother of two, aged 80, passed away around 6am on Wednesday at the Villajoyosa Hospital near the Benidorm resort where she rose to international fame. Her daughter, María Aragüés Gadea, said it will be a day she will "remember for the rest of my life".
She said: "My mum was in hospital for the last 12 days of her life and as a family we've been with her and have been able to say goodbye to her. I was by her bedside when she died this morning. She passed away as they were changing her morphine bottle." She also detailed what the family understands to be the cause of death.
María, pictured with her mum, has shared herartbreak (Maria Gadea)The retired dancer, known for her X-rated magic shows in the Spanish resort popular with Brit holidaymakers, had smashed her knees getting into a car in an accident earlier this year. She was told told it would take several months for her leg to heal, The Sun reports.
Since Vicky retired in 2016, María herself took over her mother's act in the popular resort. She lived with her mum and also acted as her full-time carer in her later years.
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Writing on the official Sticky Vicky Facebook page on Wednesday, María said: "She has gone, surrounded by her family, with all of our love. I thank God for being able to always be by her side, I am left with a broken heart." Her official cause of death is yet to be identified and shared.
Her shows ran from the mid 70s until her retirement in 2016 (REX/Shutterstock)Over the decades, Vicky stunned generations with her X-rated tricks which made creative use of household objects including ping-pong balls, razor blades and beer bottles. The trained ballet dancer, born in Tenerife in 1943, became a legend of the holiday hotspot visited by millions of British tourists.
It is estimated around six million people saw her show - which she would often perform six times in a night, six days a week - since she started it in the mid-1970s.
And tributes have flooded in from Vicky's fans, many of whom responded to her daughter's post of Facebook.
"God bless you and your family your mum put Benidorm on the map," one person wrote. "When you said Benidorm every one said Sticky Vicky. What a beautiful woman a true entertainer RIP."
Another person wrote: "I was 14 years old when I first heard of your beautiful mum... I finally got to see her numerous times in my 40s and your show too.... Benidorm will be now dark at night....after losing it's biggest star.. absolute legend... Bless you."