Shelley Fabares died August 22, 2026 at 82, leaving behind a career that stretched from The Donna Reed Show to Coach, with a No. 1 hit, “Johnny Angel,” along the way. But for Elvis fans, she’ll always have a particularly special place in the Presley filmography. Fabares was the only actress to co-star with Elvis in three feature films: Girl Happy (1965), Spinout (1966), and Clambake (1967). There was an easy chemistry between them that clearly worked, because Hollywood kept putting them back together.
And Fabares herself remembered those movies fondly. “They weren’t great, but they were great fun,” she once said. That may be the perfect epitaph for the Elvis movies, and perhaps the real reason we still love them. Personally, I feel like she was the only love interest (outside of Ann Margret) that could truly go toe-to-toe with Elvis' screen presence. She made us believe that Elvis MIGHT ACTUALLY BE INTERESTED IN THE GIRL NEXT DOOR. Not easy to do...
Fabares went on to earn two Emmy nominations for Coach and remained a familiar face on television for decades. She was married to MASH* star Mike Farrell for 42 years, until her death. A lovely actress, a terrific screen presence, and an unforgettable part of Elvis’s movie years. Rest in peace, Shelley. 🖤