1950s Pin-Up Queen Bettie Page In Critical Condition Following Heart Attack

December 8, 2008 8:30 a.m. EST

Los Angeles, CA (CNS) - Pin-up model Bettie Page has been taken to a hospital in Los Angeles following a heart attack. Agent Mark Roesler says her condition is "critical."

Page, 85, was reportedly under supervision for three weeks at another hospital but she suffered a coronary spasm before she was scheduled to be released. Some reports suggest that she was suffering from pneumonia. She now remains at a hospital in L.A.

The infamous model began her pin-up career when she met Jerry Tibbs, a police office interested in photography. She was a willing model and together, they put her first pin-up portfolio.

She was one of the first Playboy's Playmate of the Month, with her centerfold appearing in January 1955 issue of the then two-year-old magazine. She was seen wearing only a Santa hat and kneeling before a Christmas tree. In the same year, she won "Miss Pin-up Girl of the World."

In 2005, a biopic of her life entitled "The Notorious Bettie Page" was released. Gretchen Mol played her.