Shelley Duvall, the actress best known for starring in Robert Altman‘s Nashville and 3 Women, and in Stanley Kubrick‘s horror classic The Shining, has died, her partner Dan Gilroy told ABC News.
She was 75.
“Shelley loved animals, especially birds, now she’s free to fly,” said Gilroy, her life partner for decades.
He went on to say, “She’s been suffering for many months, as much as I miss her, my life partner for thirty-four years, I’m glad she’s not suffering anymore.”
Duvall won the Cannes best actress award for her role in 3 Women and later won a Peabody for hosting the children’s anthology series Shelley Duvall’s Faerie Tale Theatre.
Born in Texas in 1949, Duvall was a regular figure in Altman’s films, having appeared in seven of the director’s projects, beginning with 1970’s Brewster McCloud — her first film role.
Duvall’s last film with Altman was 1980’s Popeye, in which she played Olive Oyl, the girlfriend of Robin Williams‘ titular character.
Amid her collaborations with Altman, Duvall also appeared alongside Diane Keaton in Woody Allen‘s Annie Hall in 1977.
Some of Duvall’s other film roles included Tim Burton‘s 1984 short film Frankenweenie, the Steve Martin and Daryl Hannah rom-com Roxanne in 1987, Jane Campion‘s 1996 film The Portrait of a Lady and as Hilary Duff‘s witchy aunt in 1998’s Casper Meets Wendy.
Duvall hosted several anthology television series, including Faerie Tale Theatre in the ’80s and Shelley Duvall’s Bedtime Stories in the ’90s, the latter of which earned her an Emmy nomination.
Beginning in the early aughts, Duvall had largely remained private both in public and private life. The actress had also been open about her struggle with mental illness in recent years.
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