Patty Duke, Oscar Winner and Sitcom Star, Dies at 69

[villager]

Source: Hollywood Reporter


She received an Academy Award at 16 for playing Helen Keller in 'The Miracle Worker' and starred as two cousins in 'The Patty Duke Show.'

Patty Duke, who won a best supporting actress Oscar for her performance as Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker and starred as two cousins, different as night and day, on her own sitcom, has died. She was 69.

Her son, actor Sean Astin, reported the news on Good Day LA:

https://twitter.com/HayleyHerst/status/714850326034001921

Read more: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/patty-duke-dead-miracle-worker-878902

[mountain grammy]

1. oh no. what a wonderful talent gone too soon.

Rest in peace.

[magical thyme]

2. godspeed, Patty...

[Old Vet]

3. Damn, my generation are dropping like flies

[hollysmom]

4. what a horrible way to die. sepsis

my brother just died of sepsis. he was in pain and everything just shut down until he was dead.

It is funny I remember her as a child, but I was a child at the same time, but for me she will always be a child first.

[deurbano]

60. I'm so sorry for your loss... and that your brother had to endure so much.

[packman]

5. Another part of my long-gone youth leaves

Remembered her in a rather lame film , Billie - where she was a track star who coached a boy to become a runner. RIP Patty

[Jennylynn]

32. I remember this movie from when I was a kid but younger than her

Saw it recently. About a year ago. It was pretty good even for today's times. Same issues still going on.

[GreatGazoo]

6. I met the Astins when her kids played Little League in Westwood

and her husband John had Buddhist meetings at their home. Even with the whole family working in the biz, they were very normal, wholesome people. Her kids never seemed to get caught up in the druggie Hollywood underworld of the 1980s that killed River Phoenix and damaged so many others. I credit some of that to Patty's own experiences and wisdom as a child actor become mother of child actors.

I wish her family peace at this difficult time.

[villager]

8. Thanks for that remembrance. Did you play Little League on the "Bad News Bears" field in Westwood?

Not the one where the movie was filmed, but the one that inspired the writing of it?

[GreatGazoo]

11. worked at the Roger Corman studio (New World) right across Sepulveda from it

We had company softball games over there against other film companies (Weintraub, Fox, Searchlight) after the kids were finished.

Loved "Bad News Bears" btw.

[villager]

18. I know exactly those buildings, that block.

Have been stuck in traffic along Sepulveda there many times...

[awoke_in_2003]

44. I didn't realize who

Sean Astin's parents were. I always enjoyed his father's work.

[DebbieCDC]

7. I remember when watching the film version of The Miracle Worker

And being in absolute awe thinking Yikes! During the run of the play, Patty Duke and Anne Bancroft had to play that dining room scene night after night on stage, all that energy and fierceness....it was incredible. What talent.

[Scuba]

9. I had a crush on both of her ..

... but especially the one with the British accent.

[jillan]

10. RIP Patty, thanks for all your talent.

[zalinda]

13. Sally Field was The Flying Nun. eom

[jillan]

15. You are right. Duh..... lol fixing it right now.

[narnian60]

12. She was great in every role she played.

[PatrynXX]

14. :( n/t

[Brother Buzz]

16. She was much younger then I would have guessed

I guess I assumed she was like a 23, 25 year old TV actor playing a teen in 1963. She really was a teen, 17.

[bluestateguy]

19. I remember her show Hail to the Chief

about a woman president. I liked it as a kid, but the show never found viewers and was quickly cancelled.

[no_hypocrisy]

20. Anna (birth name) starred twice in

The Miracle Worker, as Helen Keller and as Anne Sullivan.

An amazing actress and brave woman.

RIP

[BumRushDaShow]

21. NOOOOOO

Thought she would live forever. Folks from my childhood are disappearing right and left. What a loss. So many iconic roles in her film and television career including something I finally watched for the first time a few years ago - "Valley of the Dolls". She was rip-roaring and far above the other performers in caliber in that.

Damn. R.I.P.

[DebbieCDC]

43. OMG, I forgot all about Neely O'Hara! (nt)

[jtuck004]

22. Patty Duke talks about mental illness and Robin Williams

SPOKANE, Wash. -
The impact of Robin Williams' death can be felt around the world, as fans mourn the loss of one of our nation's favorite entertainers. In North Idaho, the actress who rose to fame as Patty Duke can relate to Williams and his battle with mental illness in the spotlight.

"It's a gray day, in more ways than one," says Anna Pearce, which is Patty Duke's legal name. Visiting her home in Hayden is like visiting your favorite aunt. She makes you smile and feel at ease and you almost forget you're in the company of Hollywood royalty.
...

A 2014 picture with the article here: http://www.kxly.com/news/spokane-news/patty-duke-talks-about-mental-illness-and-robin-williams/27436630

She had a home over in Coeur d'Alene, Id. Put on some local plays there in the past few years.

[Ex Lurker]

23. In the eighties, she married an Army sergeant who was a technical advisor on one of her movies

and finally seemed to find happiness. They were together until her death.

[LittleGirl]

29. Thank you for that link

I never knew that about her. What a brave woman she was. Loved her.

[heaven05]

24. she was also great

in 'Valley of the Dolls, I thought. Hope she is at peace with eternity.

[3catwoman3]

25. I was captivated by The Miracle Worker, and watched it...

...over and over. Also a loyal fan of the "twin cousins" show during its run.

She was only 4 years older than I will be next month.

Thank you for many memories.

[whathehell]

30. The Miracle Worker made a huge impression on me as a kid

and It's still one of my favorite films of all time.

Godspeed, Patty.

[spiderpig]

41. Another contemporary here, 3catwoman3

I clearly remember her unstable early years, and the dramatic difference when she was diagnosed and successfully treated for bipolar disorder. She talked about it openly when few others did.

She was an extremely articulate advocate for many issues and came across as a warm, caring person.

Sads.

[3catwoman3]

47. I also loved her son's...

...show about meerkats.

[spiderpig]

51. Who can resist Sean?

She did a good job with him.

[DinahMoeHum]

26. In tribute: the Patty Duke Show theme song (c. 1963)

[villager]

35. +1

Thanks for posting.

[CountAllVotes]

27. Every day

I used to watch the Patty Duke show and yeah, I rather loved it I'd say.

Of my generation yes and why we are all dropping like flies too soon is worrisome at best.
RIP Patty Duke!

[ghostsinthemachine]

28. my second TV star crush....

On the Patty Duke show. (Annette Funicello was the first). Pretty young too......

[dembotoz]

39. Yes either one

But patty more

[JackInGreen]

31. She was amazing

And will be missed.

[benld74]

33. RIP

[Blue_In_AK]

34. Oh, that's so sad. She was just a couple months younger than me.

I always liked her. I remember when she bravely discussed her bipolar disorder.

[Hiraeth]

36. condolences to her family and friends. May she rest in peace.

[Mendocino]

37. My Sweet Charlie 1970

A TV movie that was so good it was later theatrically released. It co-starred Al Freeman Jr. One of the finer presentations ever on the small screen.

[Matilda]

63. That's what I remember her most for.

It was shown only once on Australian TV, but I've never forgotten it. The performances of both Patty Duke and Al Freeman Jr. were outstanding, and I recall that I cried. I always wished I could see it again, but it was never screened here again.

It's now on youtube, and as soon as I can, I'm going to watch it right through.

R.I.P. Patty.

[watrwefitinfor]

64. One of tv's best moments - My Sweet Charlie.

And they were both great in it.

Wat

[Scruffy Rumbler]

38. She was so open about her battles with mental health...

May she know peace.

[avaistheone1]

40. A great actress who happened to suffer from bipolar disorder.

RIP

[longship]

42. Oh dear! She was open about her challenges.

And OMG! What talent! Regretfully the studios wasted it.

[DesertRat]

45. Very sad news

RIP, Patty Duke.

[m-lekktor]

46. RIP Neely O"Hara.nt

[3catwoman3]

49. Valley of the Dolls...

...was the first "dirty" book I ever read.

[m-lekktor]

52. Jacqueline Susann. I remember "The Love Machine" as well.

I was just a kid, my mom had those books!

[llmart]

62. Oh yes. Mine too.

I remember hiding it under my mattress so my father wouldn't know I was reading it. He found it anyway.

Then I went to see the movie. He didn't find out about that

[PatrickforO]

48. Rest in peace, Patty. I can remember you giving us hours and hours of

good entertainment.

In remembrance, the theme from the Patty Duke show:

Meet Cathy, who's lived most everywhere,
From Zanzibar to Barclay Square.
But Patty's only seen the sights
A girl can see from Brooklyn Heights — What a crazy pair!

But they're cousins,
Identical cousins all the way.
One pair of matching bookends,
Different as night and day.

Where Cathy adores a minuet,
The Ballet Russes, and crepe suzette,
Our Patty loves to rock and roll,
A hot dog makes her lose control — What a wild duet!

Still, they're cousins,
Identical cousins and you'll find,
They laugh alike, they walk alike,
At times they even talk alike —
You can lose your mind,
When cousins are two of a kind.

[Siwsan]

50. So, so, so sad to read this news!

I was a huge fan, when I was very young. Never missed an episode of The Patty Duke Show. And I still am mesmerized by her performance in 'The Miracle Worker', every single time I watch it.

[MuseRider]

53. Such sad news.

She was filming a made for TV movie with Martin Sheen just down the block from where we used to live. It was on the same corner as my horses were living. I would be down there doing chores every day. We got to meet both of them, I believe I have told the Martin Sheen story a few times here, he was absolutely the nicest man in the world getting down on his knees to actually talk to each of my little boys.

I had a nice long walk talking with Patty Duke as she walked from her trailer to the set. She was very easy to talk to, had some interesting things to say about the movie and the area where we were living. Just conversation. It is not common for me to feel comfortable around anyone I do not know but she was just one of those people you would think was a little stand offish but she was not at all.

Otherwise, I enjoyed many of the roles she played, she was a part of my childhood. This is sad.

[shanti]

54. RIP, Patty

The Miracle Worker was one of my favorite movies, and how can you forget the identical cousins?

[HockeyMom]

55. Sepsis from ruptured intestine

Horrible. Should not happened. My husband had a big crush on her as a teenager from her Parent Trap days. RIP, Patty.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2016/03/29/oscar-winning-former-child-star-patty-duke-dies-age-69/82382666/

[SoapBox]

56. RIP Patty

Age 69 now sounds so young...this is really sad.

I'll be humming the show theme all day.

[Omaha Steve]

57. I was at her last public speaking engagement in 2014

Look for it on Inside Edition tomorrow.

See was in pain. She had to leave the autograph session and rushed to the hospital.

Three pages of info here: http://www.omahafilmevent.com/past/miracleworker1.htm

[SoapBox]

58. Don't miss this interview as well.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1017346217

[Duppers]

59. A sad day for her dear family and us boomers.

She was widely admired and respected. What a talented, insightful, and outspoken person she was.

For us boomers, our own morality is smacking us in the face. I'm three weeks older than Anna was and even tho I've been told I don't look it, I'm sure as heck feeling my age.

[whistler162]

61. Last season she did a role on Disney's

Liv and Maddie as both the Grandmother and Great-Aunt of the title characters.

Peace

[sendero]

65. My first TV crush....

.... Patty Duke was an icon of the era's sitcoms. May she rest in peace.

[Babel_17]

66. I remember the episode with Sammy Savis Jr.

RIP, you done good girl!

[Babel_17]

67. Lol at the Harry Truman reference in Part One

[valerief]

68. Sparkle, Patty, sparkle. RIP. nt

[burfman]

69. Here she is with her 'dad' recently

When it was on I was young enough to think that Patty & Cathy were actually two people......

burfman.....

[FourScore]

70. Farewell, Patti. n/t

[DrBulldog]

71. I had a crush on her when I was 12 years old and she was Mr. Wizard's assistant.

And since then I had always followed her incredible career.

[Miss Marmelstein]

72. She was also a singer.....

and released a few albums. She had a semi-hit record in 1965 with 'Please Don't Just Stand There' which topped out at #8. She followed that with 'Say Something Funny' which only reached #22. I downloaded both songs years ago after a visit with my childhood girlfriend and listen to them often. We were both in love with 'Please don't just stand there' and it was our favorite song at the time and we would scream in excitement when it would come on the radio. Oh, to be young again! LOL

[Major Hogwash]

73. Did you guys know she was a very liberal Democrat?

Patty was not only a talented actress, she was one of the most liberal Democratic actresses of the last 50 years.
She even graciously agreed to use her home in Coeur d'Alene as the base for the state of Idaho when John Kerry made his run for the White House in 2004.

We have lost a great human being.
Patty Duke was one of the smartest, most adorable, talented women that ever acted in motion pictures.