The Shining’s Shelley Duvall dies at 75

Shelley Duvall has died at the age of 75.

The Shining actress died in her sleep at her home in Blanco, Texas, after experiencing complications from diabetes, her long-term partner Dan Gilroy has confirmed.

Dan — who was in a relationship with Shelley from 1989 — told the Hollywood Reporter: “My dear, sweet, wonderful life partner and friend left us. Too much suffering lately, now she’s free. Fly away, beautiful Shelley.”

As well as starring opposite Jack Nicholson in The Shining and the late Robin Williams in Popeye, Shelley was best known for her work with director Robert Altman, starring in seven of his movies including McCabe + Mrs Miller, Nashville, Buffalo Bill and the Indians and 3 Women.

Shelley was discovered by Robert’s staff while attending junior college in Houston and asked to attend a screen test, making her debut as a teenage seductress in Brewster McCloud.

The actress took a lengthy break from acting and set up her own production company Think Entertainment in 1987, but in 2022, six years after admitting she was “very sick” with mental health problems, she returned to the screen with a role in The Forest Hills.

In addition to her acting career, Shelley recorded Sweet Dreams, an album of music for children in 1991, and a year later Showtime bought her pitch for Faerie Tale Theatre, which she executive produced, narrated and appeared on,

In 1985, Shelley created another Showtime series, Tall Tales and Legends, with both programmes featuring a string of star guests — including the likes of Sir Mick Jagger, Lisa Minelli, Jeff Bridges, and Vanessa Redgrave — whom she persuaded to work for scale.

Shelley married artist Bernard Sampson in 1970 but they divorced four years later.

She went on to date Paul Simon, who she met while filming Annie Hall, but the musician eventually left her for her friend Carrie Fisher.

She also lived with Popeye co-star Stan Wilson and then dated Madonna’s former boyfriend Dan, who she met while starring in Disney Channel movie Mother Goose Rock ‘n’ Rhyme.

She is survived by her three brothers, Scott, Stewart and Shane.