Joy Harmon dies aged 87 as Cool Hand Luke star remembered for iconic scene

Lydia Davies
Wed, 15 Apr 2026 20:36:10 +0000

Joy Harmon, the 1960s actress who became a lasting symbol of Hollywood glamour through her memorable car wash sequence in Cool Hand Luke, has died at the age of 87.

The star, who portrayed the provocative Lucille in the 1967 Paul Newman classic, passed away on Tuesday at her home in the Los Angeles area following a battle with pneumonia lasting several weeks.

Her family confirmed to TMZ that she was surrounded by loved ones when she died.

The three-minute scene, in which her character seductively washes a vehicle while prison labourers look on, established her as an enduring pinup of the era.

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According to a family member, Ms Harmon "fought until the end" and had been expected to make a recovery before her condition deteriorated.

Remarkably, she had been working at her Burbank bakery, Aunt Joy's Cakes, just one day before being admitted to hospital.

The actress spent between one and two weeks receiving hospital treatment, followed by several weeks at a rehabilitation facility.

She then returned to her home to spend her remaining days receiving hospice care, with her family by her side.

Her relatives described her as a "positive thinker full of life and vibrancy, and certainly had no problem spreading joy throughout her life."

Born Patricia Joy Harmon in Queens, New York in 1940, she began appearing in newsreels as a model when she was just three years old.

Her family subsequently relocated to Connecticut, where she grew up and later reached the finals of the Miss Connecticut beauty competition as a teenager.

She launched her theatrical career in Bridgeport before making her Broadway debut aged 18 in the production Make a Million.

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Her path to Hollywood began after Groucho Marx spotted her on his quiz programme, later known as You Bet Your Life.

Throughout the 1960s, she secured guest roles on popular television series including The Beverly Hillbillies, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Burke's Law and Bewitched.

Following her departure from Hollywood to raise her three children with ex-husband Jeff Gourson, the actress established Aunt Joy's Cakes in Burbank.

The business originated in her home kitchen when she started baking for her niece's coffee shop, with deliveries greeted by the exclamation "Aunt Joy's cakes are here!"

Her son, who worked at Disney Studios, helped spread word of her baking talents, leading to contracts supplying desserts to numerous Los Angeles film studios.

She continued working at the bakery until shortly before her death.

Ms Harmon is survived by her three children and nine grandchildren.