Patty Duke obit

Oscar-winning former child star Patty Duke dies, age 69.

She was not on the list.

Patty Duke, the teen who won an Oscar for The Miracle Worker and later played "identical cousins" in her own TV sitcom, has died. She was 69.

The news was confirmed Tuesday by one of her representatives, Mitchell Stubbs.

"Anna 'Patty Duke' Pearce passed away this morning March 29, 2016 at 1:20 am," his statement read. "Her cause of death was sepsis from a ruptured intestine. She was a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a friend, a mental health advocate and a cultural icon. She will be missed."

Duke died at a hospital in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho, where she had lived for the last 25 years with fourth husband Michael Pearce.

Duke's last tweets, earlier this month, alluded to being "absent" recently.

Hi tweethearts and FB friends. I have been absent, but not far, believe me. I love and miss you all. Hopefully back more soon and often

— Patty Duke (@pattyduke_id) March 1, 2016

She also tweeted on her wedding anniversary.

30 years ago today, Mike and I married. We having a very happy and quiet day. Love and hugs to all

— Patty Duke (@pattyduke_id) March 15, 2016

Acclaimed for her acting (her career dates back to the late 1950s), Duke became best known in later life as an advocate for mental health issues, after she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1982 and wrote about it in her 1987 autobiography.

Experts on brain disorders hailed her courage in being one of the first celebrities to speak out about her disorder, depression and substance abuse.

"By bravely sharing her personal story — so at odds with her professional image — with the public, she became an inspiration and role model for people and their loved ones who are dealing with mental illness, and worked toward eliminating the stigma that prevents so many people from seeking help. She will be missed," said Jeffrey Borenstein, president and CEO of the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, who interviewed Duke for his PBS show Healthy Minds.

Duke won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in The Miracle Worker, becoming the then-youngest person to win an Oscar and thus one of the most famous American teenagers ever. She earned it playing the blind-and-deaf American icon Helen Keller, first on stage and later in the 1962 film, both of which told the story of how Keller learned to communicate as a child through her tutor Anne Sullivan (Anne Bancroft).

But Duke really charmed her way into American pop culture in 1963, when she was given her own series, The Patty Duke Show, created especially for her. At the time, no one knew, not even Duke, that she had bipolar disorder.

But producer Sidney Sheldon had noticed that she had two distinct sides to her personality and the two came up with the idea of a show about "identical cousins" with contrasting personalities, and even different accents.

The show, which ran from 1963 to 1966, was hard work: She played both characters, Patricia "Patty" Lane, a "typical" rock 'n roll American teenager who occasionally got into minor trouble at school and home, and Catherine "Cathy" Lane, her more well-behaved cousin from Scotland who adores "a minuet, The Ballet Russes and crepe suzette."

Besides appearing on stage and screen, Duke even had success as a singer, with two Top 40 hits in 1965, Don't Just Stand There and Say Something Funny. She also wrote two books, Call Me Anna, and Brilliant Madness: Living with Manic Depressive Illness.

And she served as president of the actors union, the Screen Actors Guild, from 1983 to 1988.

She was married four times and had multiple affairs, which led to some confusion over the father of one of her three children, Lord of the Rings actor Sean Astin (his biological dad turned out to be one of her lovers-turned-short-lived husbands).

Duke's life and career were tumultuous, and not just because of her bipolar disorder or the fact she worked so much (her Internet Movie Database page shows she has a movie, Power of the Air, coming out in 2017), but because of her personal life.

"I think maybe the most important part of her legacy is her acting work," said her son Sean Astin, in an interview with the Associated Press. "Above and beyond anything, the reason any of the other stuff is possible in terms of the scope of the impact that she was able to have with people was her talent and her work and her work ethic, her discipline. She worked extremely hard."

Astin said she had dealt with a multitude of ailments over the years, including emphysema after years of smoking. He said he was grateful to the rush of tributes for his mother.

"It's just such an affirmation of the best part of her and such a relief to be able to enjoy that as opposed to the pain that everyone was feeling," Astin said. "We're so grateful to her for living a life that generates that amount of compassion and feeling in others. So, this last hour's a joy moment for me."

Duke married her fourth husband, drill sergeant Michael Pearce, in 1986, after meeting on the set of a TV movie, A Time to Triumph, for which Pearce served as a consultant. They moved to Hayden, Idaho, adopted a son, Kevin, born in 1988.  After her marriage, Duke used the name Anna Duke-Pearce in her writings and other professional work.

As is now routine, condolences started piling up on Twitter, addressed to Duke and to her son, Sean Astin, from famous friends and from fans.

Filmography

Films

Year Film Role Notes

1958 Country Music Holiday 'Sis' Brand

1958 The Goddess Emily Ann Faulkner (age 8)

1959 4D Man Marjorie Sutherland

1959 Happy Anniversary Debbie Walters

1962 The Miracle Worker Helen Keller

1965 Billie Billie Carol

1966 The Daydreamer Thumbelina (voice)

1967 Valley of the Dolls Neely O'Hara

1969 Me, Natalie Natalie Miller

1972 You'll Like My Mother Francesca Kinsolving

1978 The Swarm Rita

1981 By Design Helen

1985 Gifts of Greatness Amy Lowell Video

1986 Willy/Milly Doris Niceman

1992 Prelude to a Kiss Mrs. Boyle

1999 Kimberly Dr. Feinstenberger

2005 Bigger Than the Sky Mrs. Keene / Earlene

2008 The Four Children of Tander Welch Susan Metler

2012 Amazing Love Helen

2018 Power of the Air Charlene Summers Completed

Television

Year Film Role Notes

1956 Armstrong Circle Theatre Marianne Doona / Angelina Rico "SOS from the Andrea Doria", "Flare-Up"

1957 Armstrong Circle Theatre Gina "Have Jacket, Will Travel"

1958 DuPont Show of the Month Young Cathy "Wuthering Heights"

1958 Kraft Television Theatre Betty / Roberta "A Boy Called Ciske", "Death Wears Many Faces"

1958 Kitty Foyle Molly Scharf (young) TV series

1958 Swiss Family Robinson Lynda TV film

1958 The United States Steel Hour Kathy "One Red Rose for Christmas"

1958–59 The Brighter Day Ellen Williams Dennis TV series

1959 The United States Steel Hour Sonya Alexandrovna / Robin Kent "Family Happiness", "Seed of Guilt"

1959 Meet Me in St. Louis 'Tootie' Smith TV film

1959 Once Upon a Christmas Time Lori TV film

1961 The Power and the Glory Coral TV film

1962 Ben Casey Janie Wahl "Mrs. McBroom and the Cloud Watcher"

1962 The United States Steel Hour Penelope "The Duchess and the Smugs"

1963 Wide Country Cindy Hopkins "To Cindy, with Love"

1963 Best of Patty Duke Patty Lane / Cathy Lane TV film

1963–1966 The Patty Duke Show Patty Lane / Cathy Lane Lead role

1967 The Virginian Sue Ann McRae "Sue Ann"

1969 Journey to the Unknown Barbara King "The Last Visitor"

1970 My Sweet Charlie Marlene Chambers TV film

1970 Matt Lincoln Sheila "Sheila"

1970 The Cliff Sheila TV film

1971 Two on a Bench Macy Kramer TV film

1971 Night Gallery Holly Schaeffer "The Diary"

1971 If Tomorrow Comes Eileen Phillips TV film

1972 She Waits Laura Wilson TV film

1972 Deadly Harvest Jenny TV film

1972 The Sixth Sense Elizabeth "With Affection, Jack the Ripper"

1972 Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law Lois "Love Child"

1973 Hawaii Five-O Toni "Thanks for the Honeymoon"

1973 Ghost Story Linda Colby "Graveyard Shift"

1974 Nightmare Jan Richards TV film

1974 ABC's Wide World of Entertainment Adelaide "Hard Day at Blue Nose"

1974 The ABC Afternoon Playbreak Melanie Kline "Miss Kline, We Love You"

1974 Insight Margie "The One-Armed Man"

1975 Police Story Daniele "Sniper"

1975 Police Woman Larue Collins "Nothing Left to Lose"

1975 Marcus Welby, M.D. Kate Gannard "Unindicted Wife"

1976 Phillip and Barbara Barbara Logan TV film

1976 The Streets of San Francisco Susan Rosen "The Thrill Killers: Parts 1 & 2"

1976 Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby Rosemary Woodhouse TV film

1976 Captains and the Kings Bernadette Hennessey Armagh TV miniseries

1976 Insight Annie Grogan "For the Love of Annie"

1977 Insight Loretta Berg "A Slight Drinking Problem"

1977 Fire! Dr. Peggy Wilson TV film

1977 Rosetti and Ryan Sylvia Crawford "Men Who Love Women"

1977 Curse of the Black Widow Laura Lockwood / Valerie Steffan TV film

1977 Killer on Board Norma Walsh TV film

1977 The Storyteller Sue Davidoff TV film

1978 A Family Upside Down Wendy TV film

1978 Insight Nelli Grubb "Second Chorus"

1979 Women in White Cathy Payson TV film

1979 Hanging by a Thread Sue Grainger TV film

1979 Before and After Carole Matthews TV film

1979 The Miracle Worker Anne Sullivan TV film

1980 The Women's Room Lily TV film

1980 Mom, the Wolfman and Me Deborah Bergman TV film

1980 The Babysitter Liz Benedict TV film

1981 Insight Mother Alicia "God's Guerillas"

1981 The Girl on the Edge of Town Martha TV film

1981 The Violation of Sarah McDavid Sarah McDavid TV film

1981 Please Don't Hit Me, Mom Barbara Reynolds TV film

1982 Something So Right Jeanne Bosnick TV film

1982–83 It Takes Two Molly Quinn Main role

1983 September Gun Sister Dulcina TV film

1983 Insight Peters "The Hit Man"

1984 Best Kept Secrets Laura Dietz TV film

1984 George Washington Martha Washington TV miniseries

1985 Hotel Gayla Erikson "New Beginnings"

1985 Hail to the Chief President Julia Mansfield Main role

1986 A Time to Triumph Concetta Hassan TV film

1986 George Washington II: The Forging of a Nation Martha Washington TV film

1987 It's a Living Patty Duke "The Evictables"

1987 Fight for Life Shirley Abrams TV film

1987 J.J. Starbuck Verna Mckidden "Pilot"

1987 Karen's Song Karen Matthews Main role

1988 Perry Mason: The Case of the Avenging Ace Althea Sloan TV film

1988 Fatal Judgement Anne Capute TV film

1989 Amityville 4: The Evil Escapes Nancy Evans TV film

1989 Everybody's Baby: The Rescue of Jessica McClure Carolyn Henry TV film

1990 Call Me Anna Anna Marie Duke TV iflm

1990 Always Remember I Love You Ruth Monroe TV film

1991 Absolute Strangers Judge Ray TV film

1991 The Torkelsons Catharine Jeffers "Return to Sender"

1991 The Legend of Prince Valiant Lady Morgana (voice) "The Trust Betrayed", "The Awakening"

1992 Last Wish Betty Rollin TV film

1992 Grave Secrets: The Legacy of Hilltop Drive Jean Williams TV film

1992 A Killer Among Friends Jean Monroe TV film

1993 Family of Strangers Beth Thompson TV film

1993 No Child of Mine Lucille Jenkins TV film

1993 A Matter of Justice Mary Brown TV film

1994 One Woman's Courage Grace McKenna TV film

1994 Cries from the Heart Terry Wilson TV film

1995 Amazing Grace Hannah Miller TV series

1995 When the Vows Break Barbara Parker TV film

1996 Race Against Time: The Search for Sarah Natalie Porter TV film

1996 Harvest of Fire Annie Beiler TV film

1996 To Face Her Past Beth Bradfield TV film

1997 Frasier Alice (voice) "Death and the Dog"

1997 A Christmas Memory Sook TV film

1998 When He Didn't Come Home Faye Dolan TV film

1998 Touched by an Angel Nancy Williams "I Do"

1999 The Patty Duke Show: Still Rockin' in Brooklyn Heights Patty Lane / Cathy Lane MacAllister TV film

1999 A Season for Miracles Angel TV film

2000 Miracle on the Mountain: The Kincaid Family Story Anne Kincaid TV film

2000 Love Lessons Sunny Andrews TV film

2001 Family Law Judge Sylvia Formenti "Liar's Club: Part 2"

2001 First Years Evelyn Harrison "There's No Place Like Homo"

2002 Little John Sylvia TV film

2003 Touched by an Angel Jean "I Will Walk with You: Parts 1 & 2"

2004 Judging Amy Valerie Bing "Disposable"

2004 Murder Without Conviction Mother Joseph TV film

2006 Falling in Love with the Girl Next Door Bridget Connolly TV film

2009 Love Finds a Home Mary Watson TV film

2009 Throwing Stones Patti Thom TV film

2010 Unanswered Prayers Irene TV film

2011 The Protector Beverly "Wings", "Blood"

2011 Hawaii Five-0 Sylvia Spencer "Mea Makamae"

2012 Drop Dead Diva Rita Curtis "Freak Show"

2013 Glee Jan "All or Nothing"

2015 Liv and Maddie Grandma Janice / Great-Aunt Hillary "Grandma-A-Rooney"