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Bettie Page, the original 1950s pinup queen who did more for the bikini and high heels than the writer of "Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" and Manolo Blahnik combined, died yesterday at 85 years old.

She was one of the first Playboy Playmates, a muse to the artist Olivia de Berardinis, and the subject of the 2005 film The Notorious Bettie Page, starring Gretchen Mol as the title character. She also posed for an estimated 20,000 pictures, wearing everything from swimsuits and lingerie to fetish gear and...nothing at all.

"I want to be remembered," she said, "as I was when I was young and in my golden times...I want to be remembered as the woman who changed people's perspectives concerning nudity in its natural form."

Without this true Glamour Girl, there would be no Dita Von Teese, no Girls Next Door, no Pussycat Dolls, no Pamela Anderson, Carmen Electra, or Denise Richards...and probably no renewed passion for retro lingerie.

Au revoir, Bettie, we will remember you well! Who do you guys think is heir to Ms. Page's very sexy throne? Is there a modern day woman who is doing as much as she did to change our minds about sexuality? A woman who sets pulses racing and hearts aflutter? Or someone who's doing as much for the swimsuit as she once did?

Photos: AFP/Getty Images

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