Hollywood icon Valerie Perrine has died aged 82. The actress who is best known for her role in Superman has died following a decade-long battle with Parkinson's disease. Her longtime partner, Stacey Souther, confirmed her death, releasing a statement on Monday (March 23) via The Hollywood Reporter. In addition to revealing that a GoFundMe fundraiser was set up for funeral costs, Stacey opened up about the neurological condition which Valerie was diagnosed with in 2015.

Although it robbed her of her mobility, as well as the ability to eat and talk, "she faced Parkinson's disease with incredible courage and compassion, never once complaining." The legend died at home in Beverly Hills of complications linked to her Parkinson's diagnosis. In the touching tribute, Stacey continued: "She was a serious actress who happened to possess the beauty of a goddess, and Hollywood rarely knew quite what to do with that combination. But audiences always did. They loved her without reservation."

Stacey went on to share that Valerie's final wish was a "simple and deeply meaningful: to be laid to rest at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills, in the city that shaped her destiny."

As for the fundraiser, she explained that the actresses' finances had dwindled "as roles dried up" and Valerie had "spent what she had on medical care, determined to fight.

"The costs of burial at Forest Lawn, funeral arrangements, and the final care needed to carry out her wishes represent a financial burden that her brother Ken, fighting his own battle with this same cruel disease, cannot bear alone."

"It is a wish as dignified and deserving as the woman herself. And it is a wish we are asking you to help us honour."

In the touching tribute, Stacey added: "Valerie Perrine gave everything she had to her craft, her fans, and her life with grace, humour, and an indomitable spirit that Parkinson's itself could never fully extinguish. Let's make sure her final chapter is written with the same dignity and love that she gave to all of us".

In addition to starring as Eve Teschmacher in the Christopher Reeve-starring Superman in 1978 and Superman II in 1980, she also featured in various blockbuster comedy and drama films.

Valerie starred opposite Jeff Bridges in The Last American Hero in 1973 and appeared in The Electric Horseman in 1979 alongside Robert Redford. In 1980, the star appeared with The Village People and Caitlyn Jenner in Can't Stop the Music.

Throughout her career as a highly regarded actress, she won the best actress award at the Cannes Film Festival, a BAFTA honour for most promising newcomer and an Oscar nomination for her role in Lenny in 1974.

She did not win the Academy Award, losing out to Ellen Burstyn for Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore.

During the height of her stardom, Valerie was widely regarded as a sex symbol, appearing in Playboy many times, with The New York Times once describing her as "a sensual Betty Boop, with her cherubic blue eyes, button nose and rosebud lips."

The late actress was also a trailblazer and became the first woman to expose her breasts intentionally on television in 1973, as she did so in the television film, Steambath.