News can confirm that Susan Backlinie, who gained notoriety as the first victim in the 1975 movie “Jaws,” has passed away.
Harvey Swindall, her thirty-year spouse, described her death as “very unexpected.” She suffered a heart attack on Saturday morning and passed away at their California home. She was seventy-seven.
“I’ve never met someone as incredible as [she] was. Swindall remarked, “And I’ve never loved anybody like her.”
Backlinie was cast as Chrissie in Steven Spielberg’s movie due to her stunning appearance as well as the fact that she was a nationally ranked swimmer who had trained animals and worked as a mermaid after graduating from high school in 1964.
“I refused to have an actor do it. I needed a stuntperson, therefore I wanted one.
