Former Hollywood actress and sex symbol Jane Russell has died at the age of 89.

The brunette was discovered by eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes, who cast her in his 1943 Western The Outlaw.

Some of her most memorable films include the The Paleface (1948) with Bob Hope, and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) with Marilyn Monroe.

She died on Monday at her home in California of a respiratory-related illness, her daughter-in-law confirmed.

She worked with many of the industry's stars in the '40s and '50s, appearing alongside Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes in 1953. She also worked with Frank Sinatra, Groucho Marx and Vincent Price during the '50s.

In a statement to Reuters, her son Buck Waterfield said: "Jane Russell passed away peacefully today (Monday) at home surrounded by her children at her bedside."

Russell adopted three children with her first husband, American football player Bob Waterfield and in the 1950s founded the World Adoption International Fund.

She had continued to perform and carry out work for charities up until a few weeks ago when her health began to decline.

Source: Press Release