Celebrity

Oscar Winner Patty Duke Dead at 69

Actress Patty Duke has passed away at the age of 69. She died of sepsis from a ruptured intestine early Tuesday morning at a hospital in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, according to the Associated Press.

Her son, actor Sean Astin, also confirmed the news on his Facebook page today:

I love you mom.OUR FAMILY STATEMENT ON THE PASSING OF PATTY DUKEThis morning, our beloved wife, mother, grandmother,…

Posted by Sean Astin on Tuesday, March 29, 2016

As a teenager, Duke won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1963 for her role as Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker. She also had her own sitcom, titled The Patty Duke Show, which aired from 1963 to 1966. On the show, she portrayed two identical cousins for over 100 episodes. Her other well-known film roles include Valley of the Dolls, My Sweet Charlie, and Me, Natalie. Duke won three Emmy Awards and two Golden Globes throughout acting her career. Her most recent appearances were on an episode of Disney Channel’s Liv and Maddie in 2015 and an episode of Glee in 2013.

Duke was not only an actress. She was the president of the Screen Actors Guild from 1985 to 1988. In addition, she was a singer, scoring a Top 10 Billboard hit with “Don’t Just Stand There” in 1965, and an author, writing two books titled Call Me Anna and A Brilliant Madness. In Call Me Anna, she revealed she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1982. Since then, she became an advocate for mental illness issues.

Duke is survived by her husband, Michael Pearce, and three children.

Her last tweet was two weeks ago:

Many celebrities paid tribute to Duke on social media:

Check out her Oscar winning moment below:

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