Actress, producer, and philanthropist Denise DuBarry Hay passed away over the weekend after battling an infection from a deadly fungus, according to a new report. She was 63.
DuBarry Hay began her acting career in such TV 1970s series as "Black Sheep Squadron" and "CHiPs." She also appeared in the 1979 Academy Award-winning film, "Being There." Other notable appearances include TV programs such as "The Love Boat" and "Days of Our Lives."
A resident of La Quinta, near Palm Springs, DuBarry Hay recently produced two films, "Do It or Die" (2017), and "Walk to Vegas," (2019). Both films were screened at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.
However, DuBarry Hay was best known in the business world as the co-founder of one of the world's leading global direct response companies, Thane International, which she launched in 1990 with her husband Bill Hay.
In 1998, she was named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, and in 2000 Response Magazine included her in its list of the "21 People Leading Us Into the 21st Century," according to the Desert Sun.
She served as president of the Palm Springs Women in Film and Television, which she founded in 2001, to bring more production employment opportunities to the Coachella Valley. She also created the Broken Glass Awards, the organization's annual fundraiser.
Harold Matzner, fellow philanthropist and marketing executive, credited DuBarry Hay with bringing Palm Springs Women in Film and Television "to life" during her term as president.
"I remember her for her unbridled enthusiasm about getting a local creative project out there regardless of who was involved in making it," Matzner told the Desert Sun. "When I talked to her originally she was concerned that Women in Film was thought of as just a Los Angeles women’s organization and she worked it hard to differentiate Palm Springs in a really different way. She made a huge difference. She made a huge difference in everything she touched."
DuBarry Hay also served as a philanthropist with the Olive Crest, a nonprofit that helps abused and at-risk children, reported the Desert Sun.
Film producer Kim Waltrip, who recruited DuBarry Hay to the Olive Crest, told the Desert Sun she was devastated when she heard of DuBarry Hay's passing.
"I fell through the floor," she said. "How is this possible?"
Waltrip also highlighted DuBarry Hay's entrepreneurship.
"For me, she was like a very classy businesswoman. She was ahead of her time in terms of women supporting women. She always supported women. She was an entrepreneur and she was kind to everyone," Waltrip said.
"She was super-ambitious and always supportive of everything everybody did. I got her involved in Olive Crest and she donated money for those houses (for the children). When Denise gets involved, she goes all-in and she hosted fundraisers at her house. She just made sure Olive Crest had everything it needed," Waltrip added.