Shelley Duvall, Popeye Star, Dead At 75

On July 11, actor Shelley Duvall died at 75 years old. The cause of death was diabetes complications. Duvall's partner, Dan Gilroy, 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." Duvall is likely most recognized for her roles as Olive Oyl in "Popeye" and as Wendy Torrance in "The Shining."

However, her time making the Stanley Kubrick-directed "The Shining" was physically and emotionally draining. The film is based on one of horror writer Stephen King's novels. Duvall had to constantly act upset and frightened, prompting her to tell People in 1981, "I will never give that much again. If you want to get into pain and call it art, go ahead, but not with me."

In that same interview, Duvall talked about her positive experiences working with Robert Altman, who directed "Popeye" (also starring the late Robin Williams). Altman gave Duvall her industry start with the film "Brewster McCloud," and they became frequent partners. The story goes, some of Altman's employees ran into Duvall at a party in Texas, which sparked a collaboration between the actor and director that spanned many projects over the years as he helped push her toward success. Per People, Duvall reportedly once told Altman, "If you think I can do it, I guess I can." As she broadened her career to become a producer, Duvall famously produced the show "Faerie Tale Theatre" and founded the Think Entertainment production company.

Shelley Duvall moved from L.A. to her home state of Texas in the 1990s. After making a few more films, she stayed out of the spotlight, living with her partner since 1989, Dan Gilroy, whom she initially met while filming one of the Think Entertainment projects, "Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme."

Duvall's resurgence in the public eye in 2016 was not in the form of an acting gig, but in an episode of "Dr. Phil." Dr. Phil took things too far with that appearance, which showed Duvall making statements about Robin Williams being alive and "a shapeshifter" according to The Hollywood Reporter. Per Entertainment Weekly, Duvall also said, "I'm very sick. I need help." Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter in a 2021 interview, Duvall spoke about her Dr. Phil experience and said, "I found out the kind of person he is the hard way. My mother didn't like him, either. A lot of people, like Dan, said, 'You shouldn't have done that, Shelley.'" The TV doctor reportedly kept trying to get a hold of Duvall after their interview, even reaching out to her mother repeatedly.

Despite staying out of the spotlight, Duvall was still beloved by many. According to The Hollywood Reporter, a fan-turned-friend named Ryan Obermeyer even set up a surprise party for her when she turned 70. A few years later, Duvall had her final acting performance in the 2023 horror movie "The Forest Hills," her first role since the early 2000s.