Passages: Sigrid Valdis, 72, acted in Hogan’s Heroes

Sigrid Valdis, who played Col. Klink’s sexy blond secretary on “Hogan’s Heroes” and married the show’s star, Bob Crane, has died. She was 72.

Valdis died of lung cancer Oct . 14 at her daughter Ana Sarmiento’s home in Anaheim, Calif., her son, Scotty Crane, said Friday.

“One of her last wishes in her will was that the funeral have no press, so we didn’t contact the press (when she died), to honor her wishes,” he told the Los Angeles Times.

Valdis played Hilda for five seasons on “Hogan’s Heroes,” the 1965-71 CBS situation comedy about Allied prisoners in a World War II German POW camp. She and Crane were married on the TV show’s set in 1970. Crane was found bludgeoned to death in a Scottsdale, Ariz., apartment in 1978. That murder is still unsovled.

After her son’s birth in 1971, Valdis retired from acting. But she returned to it in 1998 when she joined the cast of her son’s Seattle-originated syndicated weekly sketch comedy radio show, “Shaken, Not Stirred.”

Valdis lived in Seattle from 1980 to 2004, when she moved back to her childhood home in L.A.

Bill Hosokawa, 92, was distinguished journalist

Bill Hosokawa, a former Denver Post editor who was incarcerated in a World War II relocation camp because of his heritage and bucked the prejudice of the era to build a distinguished career as a journalist and chronicler of the Japanese-American experience, has died. He was 92.

A longtime Denver resident, Hosokawa died of natural causes Nov. 9 in Sequim, where he had moved recently to be closer to family members, said his daughter, Christie Harveson.

Hosokawa was for many years the highest-ranking Asian American journalist in the country. Hired at The Denver Post in 1946, he spent 38 years there as a reporter, editor and columnist. He later jumped to The Rocky Mountain News, where he served as ombudsman from 1985 until 1992, when he retired.

He was the author of 10 books. He also served for 25 years as Japan’s honorary consul general in Colorado.

Herald wire services

Talk to us

More in Local News

An example of the Malicious Women Co. products (left) vs. the Malicious Mermaid's products (right). (U.S. District Court in Florida)
Judge: Cheeky candle copycat must pay Snohomish company over $800K

The owner of the Malicious Women Co. doesn’t expect to receive any money from the Malicious Mermaid, a Florida-based copycat.

A grave marker for Blaze the horse. (Photo provided)
After Darrington woman’s horse died, she didn’t know what to do

Sidney Montooth boarded her horse Blaze. When he died, she was “a wreck” — and at a loss as to what to do with his remains.

A fatal accident the afternoon of Dec. 18 near Clinton ended with one of the cars involved bursting into flames. The driver of the fully engulfed car was outside of the vehicle by the time first responders arrived at the scene. (Whidbey News-Times/Submitted photo)
Driver sentenced in 2021 crash that killed Everett couple

Danielle Cruz, formerly of Lynnwood, gets 17½ years in prison. She was impaired by drugs when she caused the crash that killed Sharon Gamble and Kenneth Weikle.

A person walks out of the Everett Clinic on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
The Everett Clinic changing name to parent company Optum in 2024

The parent company says the name change will not affect quality of care for patients in Snohomish County.

Tirhas Tesfatsion (GoFundMe) 20210727
Lynnwood settles for $1.7 million after 2021 suicide at city jail

Jail staff reportedly committed 16 safety check violations before they found Tirhas Tesfatsion, 47, unresponsive in her cell.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Lake Stevens in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Separate road rage incident ends with fatal shooting in Lake Stevens

A man, 41, died at the scene in the 15300 block of 84th Street NE. No arrests have been made.

Nursing Administration Supervisor Susan Williams points at a list of current COVID patients at Providence Regional Medical Center on Friday, Sept. 22, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Dozens of Providence patients in medical limbo for months, even years

About 100 people are stuck in Everett hospital beds without an urgent medical reason. New laws aim for a solution.

Lynnwood
Lynnwood man arrested, released on $25K bond after road rage shooting

Deputies arrested the suspect, 20, for investigation of first-degree assault on Tuesday.

Mt. Baker visible from the summit of Mt. Dickerman on a late summer day in 2017. (Caleb Hutton / The Herald)
Hornets pester hikers on popular Mountain Loop trails

“You cannot out run the stings,” one hiker wrote in a trip report. The Forest Service has posted alerts at two trailheads.

Most Read