THE actress and stuntperson Susan Backlinie who played the shark's first victim in Jaws has died.
Backlinie was 77 years old and died at home on Saturday in Ventura, California, her agent confirmed.
Her convention agent Matthew Templeton confirmed the news to The Daily Jaws.
"It is with heartfelt regret to confirm our beloved Susan passed away this morning," Templeton said.
"We would like to thank everyone for their condolences at this time.
R&B star Anita Pointer of The Pointer Sisters dies aged 74
"Please respect the family's privacy during this difficult time."
The actress was best known for playing Chrissie Watkins in Steven Speilberg's 1975 film Jaws.
She was 28 years old when the nationally ranked swimmer and professional diver played the skinny-dipping victim.
Backlinie had been working with animals and water before she was tracked down for the movie.
The stuntwoman was a mermaid at the Weekie Wachee Springs tourist attraction in Florida and had worked with numerous wild animals including a tiger and a bear.
When gunning for her first movie, Backlinie knew she could offer Spielberg something another actress couldn't.
"If you use me, you could get close-ups during the stunt itself. If you use an actress, she'll have to hide her face," Backlinie told the filmmaker.
Spielberg "went to stunts to find [the perfect stuntwoman] and Susan was up to the challenge," the filmmaker said in Laurent Bouzerau's book Spielberg: The First Ten Years.
In an interview in 2017, Backlinie revealed what Spielberg told her before shooting the iconic scene
"The first thing he said to me was, 'When your scene is done, I want everyone under the seats with the popcorn and the bubblegum,'" she told The Palm Beach Post.
Celtic icon Frank McGarvey dies aged 66 as tributes paid to hero after cancer fight
Tributes have poured in on social media for the actress and stuntwoman, with her role in Jaws featuring heavily.
"Susan was a kind soul and loving soul and will be sorely missed by the Jaws community," fellow actor and Jaws star Jeffrey Kramer said.
"She has a special place in our hearts."
"Rest in peace to Susan Backlinie, whose Chrissie Watkins in 'Jaws' experienced the most memorable tug on the leg in movie history," one fan wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
"She has to go down in cinema history," another added and one fan praised her "unbelievable job" which "made the entire world afraid of the ocean."
She has a special place in our hearts.
Jeffrey Kramer
Others have called her a "scream queen legend" and a "class act."
One man even said that her role contributed to his lifework of tracking sharks.
"Susan will be remembered forever and immortalized as the first victim of the great white shark of Jaws fame," the fan commented on The Daily Jaws announcement of her death.
"It stirred something in me as an 11-year-old to become fascinated with GW sharks.
"Now 61, I have cage dived in South Africa and Australia recording over 29 different GW sharks, rip Susan, thank you, Susan."
