LAS VEGAS, Jan. 28 (UPI) -- A former actress and convicted felon thanks to her relationship with Los Angeles mobster Mickey Cohen, Liz Renay, has died in Las Vegas at the age of 80.
The Los Angeles Times said Renay, who was convicted of perjury she committed while testifying in several grand juries, died last Monday in a Las Vegas hospital from gastric bleeding and cardiopulmonary arrest.
Despite having spent 27 months in a Los Angeles prison for her crimes, Renay remained steadfast regarding her decision to lie to protect Cohen in court.
"I have paid a dear price for the mistake I made, and I hope the public will be forgiving," she said after her release. "I wanted to protect Mickey. I felt I owed him that. I couldn't deliberately hurt someone who had been nice to me."
Likely due in part to her prison time, Renay only enjoyed a moderately successful acting career after her release. Her last film was 2002's "Mark of the Astro-Zombies."
The Times said that Renay is survived by her son, John McLain.
