Shelley Duvall dies aged 75

Shelley Duvall has died aged 75. The Shining star died of complications from diabetes on Thursday at her home in Blanco, Texas.

The iconic actress who played Wendy Torrance in the legendary 1980 Stanley Kubrick horror film died in her sleep.

‘My dear, sweet, wonderful life partner and friend left us. Too much suffering lately, now she’s free. Fly away, beautiful Shelley,’ Dan Gilroy, her life partner since 1989, told The Hollywood Reporter.

Born July 7, 1949 in Fort Worth, Texas, Duvall began her career by appearing in the 1970 black comedy feature Brewster McCloud.

She went on to appear in features such as Annie Hall, McCabe & Mrs. Miller and Popeye, among numerous others. 

Shelley Duvall, 75, died of complications from diabetes on Thursday

The iconic actress who played Wendy Torrance in the legendary 1980 Stanley Kubrick horror film died in her sleep

Dan Gilroy (right), her life partner since 1989, confirmed her death to The Hollywood Reporter

She starred in the psychological thriller Three Woman in 1977, which earned her an award for Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival, and she also had a small part in Woody Allen’s Annie Hall that year. 

Her most notable role was as Wendy Torrance in The Shining, and although initial reviews for the feature were mixed, contemporary critics have viewed the film in a much more favorable light. 

She founded her own production company in 1988, called Think Entertainment, which was behind a ton more kids shows; however, she sold the company five years later. She also released an album that featured her covering popular Christmas hits in 1991. 

In 2002, Duvall appeared in the independent film Manna from Heaven, before announcing that she was stepping away from the spotlight and retiring from acting.

Following the movie’s release, the actress retreated from public life and retired until last year.

She stared in the 1980 Popeye film as Olive Oyl along side Robin Williams

She made her return to the big screen in the 2023 film The Forest Hills about a man who begins experiencing disturbing visions after enduring a head injury during a camping trip in the Catskill Mountains. 

‘Shelley leaves behind an amazing legacy and will be missed by so many people, myself included. I am proud of her for overcoming adversity to act again and will always be forever grateful for her friendship and kindness,’ The Forest Hills director Scott Goldberg told People.

In an interview with The New York Times, Duvall said that she left showbusiness in 2002 because people in Hollywood ‘hurt’ her.

‘I was a star; I had leading roles,’ she told the paper. ‘People think it’s just aging, but it’s not. It’s violence.’

She eventually made an appearance on an episode of Dr. Phil in 2016, where she spoke about dealing with mental illness during her time on the show. 

The show’s host was subsequently criticized for what many saw as his exploitation of the performer. 

Duvall said that she left showbusiness in 2002 because people in Hollywood ‘hurt’ her

After 20 years she made her return to the big screen in the 2023 film The Forest Hills

Gilroy also chimed in the Times interview saying that her 2016 interview with Dr. Phil was support to help her career, but it ended up being damning and made her appear ‘odd.’

But then he added that he does worry about her, especially when she sleeps in her car.

Gilroy also explained that when her Los Angeles home was destroyed in the 1994 Northridge earthquake, they moved to Texas hoping for a happier life.

That is when things went ‘downhill’ and she ‘started becoming afraid of things, maybe didn’t want to work.’

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