The Dutch star of the 1974 erotic hit sensation "Emmanuelle" passed away in her sleep Wednesday night at age 60, according to a statement made by her agent, Features Creative Management, the Associated Press reported Thursday.
She had been fighting cancer for several years.
Kristel's breakthrough soft core porn film "Emmanuelle" captured a global audience, with the story of a husband and his young, beautiful and bored wife's sexual adventures in Thailand, and catapulted her to international fame.
One Netflix reviewer wrote, "This is by far the best soft core film ever made. An innocent young woman goes with her husband on a business trip and gets more than she bargained for." Another added, "I think my memory of it was definitely better than the movie."
Kristal was "one of the Netherland's biggest stars, with 50 films to her credit," according to her agent. These included a number of sequels to "Emmanuelle," and other erotic films, including an adaptation of D.H. Lawrence's "Lady Chatterley's Lover," and a Hollywood movie, "Private Lessons."
Frenchman Justin Jaeckin, director of "Emmanuelle," told the AP by telephone that the two maintained contact but hadn't spoken in approximately eight months.
"I am very sad ... She was like a little sister," Jaeckin said, as quoted by the AP.
Kristel is survived by her partner Peter Brul and a son with Claus, Arthur Kristel, and will be buried at a private funeral, the AP reported.
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