'Emmanuelle' star Kristel dead at 60

LONDON, Oct. 18 (UPI) -- Dutch actress Sylvia Kristel has died after battling throat and lung cancer, then suffering a stroke, the BBC reported. She was 60.

The former Miss TV Holland and Miss TV Europe is best known for her work in the 1974 erotic French film "Emmanuelle," as well as several sequels. Her other big-screen credits include "Lady Chatterley's Lover," "Mata Hari," "Because of the Cats," "The Concorde: Airport '79" and "Private Lessons."

The BBC said her agent declined to say whether Kristel died at home or in a hospital.

Her funeral is expected to be private.