Updated at the bottom with more on the glamorous Lange.

Originally posted April 11 at 5:35 p.m.

Clark Gable Jr.'s live-in girlfriend died mysteriously this morning at the couple's mansion in Malibu. (Yes, Clark Gable Jr., the son of the Hollywood legend. No, not Clark Gable III, the grandson of the Hollywood legend, arrested last summer for pointing a laser at an LAPD helicopter.)

City News Service reports that Christiane Candice Lange, 41, went to sleep after telling Gable she didn't feel well — and wouldn't wake up when he tried to rouse her around 10 a.m. this morning.

Prescription drugs could have played a part in the unexpected death, L.A. County Coroner's officials told the Los Angeles Times earlier today. But now, in an interview with City News, Assistant Chief Ed Winter seems pretty confident that the death was accidental:

“It could be a natural. It was reported as possible prescriptions. She takes a couple of meds. It may have been a heart attack. There is no indication of foul play or obvious trauma.''

The couple lives in a nice ocean-view home on a Malibu hilltop, in the 30600 block of Morning View Drive. Should be one of these:


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The day before she died, Lange Tweeted, “Getting my hair done by Byrone & Tracy tomorrow for the first time. Very excited.”

Clark Gable died four months before John Clark Gable, Jr. (pictured) was born.

Clark Gable died four months before John Clark Gable, Jr. (pictured) was born.

On her professional website, she lists herself as a “Make-up Artist and Extension Specialist” who trained with Alexis Vogel, the celebrity makeup artist credited with giving Pam Anderson (another famous Malibu resident) her signature sex-kitten look.

Lange appears to have used a similar touch. One blonde, voluptuous B-lister on MySpace writes in her photo caption, “thank u christiane lange for the wonderful hair and makeup job!!! u rock!”

Throughout March, Lange was Tweeting a bunch of photos of Gable participating in various car and off-road truck races.

L.A. Sheriff's Department officials say homicide detectives are handling Lange's death, as is procedure. But tell us: Did you know this gorgeous 41-year-old? Any idea what could have led to her early death?

Credit: Christiane Lange via Twitter

Credit: Christiane Lange via Twitter

Update: It appears Christiane Lange has some Hollywood roots of her own. Her mom and dad are Belinda and Charles Lange, owners of the uber-chic Belinda boutique along the Sunset Strip, a beacon of 1967 grooviness. Her father, now a big-time producer (he's worked on the Emmys) recently posted this flashback video to his YouTube account:

According to Charles Lange, the boutique's clients included Cher, Tina Turner, Carole King, Janis Joplin, Julie Christie, Barbra Streisand and Liza Minnelli.

[@simone_electra / swilson@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]

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