Shelley Duvall - the actress perhaps best known for her captivating role in The Shining - has sadly passed away at the age of 75.
As reported by the Daily Mail, Duvall passed away on Thursday (July 11) at her home in Blanco, Texas. She had turned 75 years old just days before on July 7.
The beloved actress reportedly died following complications from diabetes.
In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Dan Gilroy - her life partner of 35 years - said in a statement: "My dear, sweet, wonderful life partner and friend left us. Too much suffering lately, now she’s free. Fly away, beautiful Shelley."
Duvall was on July 7, 1949, in Fort Worth to parents Robert and Bobbie Duvall, who worked in law and real estate.
The eldest of four children - and only girl - she had always been described as headstrong and performative.
Despite lacking formal training, her talent - as well as her striking wide-eyed appearance - led to her becoming an unlikely leading lady.
Shelley Duvall's performance in Stanley Kubrick's The Shining is widely regarded as a standout portrayal in horror cinema.
Playing Wendy Torrance - the wife of Jack Torrance (played by Jack Nicholson) - Duvall delivers a performance that is often described as raw, vulnerable, and deeply unsettling.
Her portrayal truly captures Wendy's gradual descent into terror and desperation as she confronts the horrors unfolding around her at the isolated Overlook Hotel.
Duvall opened up about how difficult it was to film The Shining, revealing that to get herself into the right headspace, she would "listen to sad songs" before each scene or "just think about something very sad in your life or how much you miss your family and friends," per PEOPLE.
Away from The Shining, Duvall delivered standout performances in a variety of genres. She starred as Millie Lammoreaux in Robert Altman's enigmatic drama 3 Women (1977), earning critical acclaim for her complex portrayal of a woman unraveling in a surreal narrative.
Her versatility was then put to the test as the hapless Olive Oyl in Popeye (1980), opposite Robin Williams.
Her career also includes notable appearances in Altman's Nashville (1975) as Marita, and as the host and creator of the beloved television series Faerie Tale Theatre (1982-1987), where she adapted and starred in classic fairy tales alongside a cast of A-list guest stars .
Sadly, despite her immense talent, Duvall left Hollywood behind back in 2002. In an interview with The New York Times earlier this year, she revealed how the industry had "hurt" her.
"I was a star; I had leading roles," she told The Times. "People think it's just aging, but it's not. It's violence."
In 2016, Duvall appeared in a TV interview with Dr. Phil McGraw, which was widely criticized after it aired.
The actress told the host: “I am very sick” and: “I need help”, before she made several claims, including that her Popeye co-star Robin Williams was still alive as a “shape-shifter”, and that she had a “whirring disc” inside her.
After it aired, the interview was slammed for exploiting Duvall in the midst of her mental health issues, with Vivian Kubrick - daughter of The Shining’s director Stanley Kubrick - condemning its lack of “compassionate healing” in a statement on X at the time, saying it was “lurid” and “shameful”.
Speaking about the appearance in 2021, Duvall told The Hollywood Reporter that she had personally agreed to do the interview and "found out the kind of person [Dr. Phil] is the hard way,” adding: "My mother didn't like him, either. A lot of people, like Dan [Gilroy, her partner], said, 'You shouldn't have done that, Shelley.'"
After the backlash, a spokesperson for Dr. Phil said in a statement: "We don't attach the stigma associated with mental illness which many do. With no one else offering help, our goal was to document the struggle and bring amazing resources to change her trajectory as we have for so many over 19 years.
“Unfortunately, she declined our initial offer for inpatient treatment that would have included full physical and mental evaluations, giving her a chance to privately manage her challenges. After many months of follow-up, in collaboration with her mother, she ultimately refused assistance.
"We were of course very disappointed, but those offers for help remain open today."
Following a 21-year hiatus from acting, Duvall made her highly-anticipated return to acting in the 2023 horror film The Forest Hills. This would become her final role.
Our thoughts at this time are with Duvall's family, friends, and fans.
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