He was one of the very first big screen idols. He died at the age of 31, of a ruptured ulcer.

The Italian born actor had developed a reputation as being a great screen lover.

Many of his fans were inconsolable, with suicide attempts linked to his death. 100,000 people lined the streets outside the church where the funeral service was held.

He was buried in Hollywood.

It was revealed that Hans-Joachim Tiedge had defected to East Germany, on this day.

His treachery had lead to the rounding up of around 170 West German agents in East Germany in the 18 month period earlier.

Helmut Kohl, West German Chancellor, described the defection as "catastrophic"