Shelley Duvall, the actress best known for her role in “The Shining,” died Thursday, just four days after her 75th birthday.
Dan Gilroy, Duvall’s partner since 1989, told the Hollywood Reporter that she died in her sleep at her home in Blanco, Texas, due to complications from diabetes.
“My dear, sweet, wonderful life partner and friend left us. Too much suffering lately, now she’s free. Fly away, beautiful Shelley,” Gilroy said.
Duvall began acting after being discovered by Robert Altman, who cast her in the 1970 black comedy film “Brewster McCloud.”
Despite being hesitant about acting, Duvall continued to flourish in her career while working alongside the director.
She appeared in “McCabe & Mrs. Miller” in 1971 and starred in “Thieves Like Us” three years later.
Duvall landed her breakthrough role in Altman’s cult film “Nashville,” which was released in 1975. She later won the Cannes Film Festival Award for best actress and earned a British Academy Film Award nomination for best actress in a leading role for her character in the 1977 film “3 Women,” which Altman also helmed.
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In 1980, Duvall starred in her two most famous films: “Popeye” and “The Shining.”
In the latter, directed by Stanley Kubrick, she played Wendy Torrance, the tortured wife of Jack Nicholson’s stir-crazy character, Jack Torrance.
Duvall infamously said Kubrick treated her horribly throughout the psychological horror’s 13-month shoot, telling People in 1981 that the famed filmmaker had her “crying 12 hours a day for weeks on end.”
Nevertheless, she continued to make film and TV appearances throughout the ’80s and ’90s. However, in 2002, she took a hiatus from acting — and public life.
The reclusive actress re-emerged in 2016 with a polarizing appearance on “Dr. Phil.” She was struggling with her mental health at the time, leading many viewers to accuse host Phil McGraw of exploiting her. (Kubrick’s daughter Vivian even called for a boycott before it aired.)
Duvall participated in another rare interview last year, in which she revealed to People that she had relocated to Texas in 2002 after her brother was diagnosed with spinal cancer.
Following a 20-year hiatus, she announced in October 2022 that she would be returning to the big screen in “The Forest Hills,” an independent horror-thriller film directed and written by Scott Goldberg.
Duvall is survived by her brothers, Scott, Stewart and Shane.
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