https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahtRgCeHEbQ
Patty Duke passed away today at the age of 69 due to sepsis from a ruptured intestine according to her agent Mitchell K. Stubbs.
Patty Duke had an horrendous childhood because of parents and her abusive talent managers, even though she had huge sucess on Broadway and on the big screen playing Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker at such a young age. In 1963, she landed the role of Patty Lane and her lookalike cousin Cathy in the sitcom The Patty Duke Show that still airs today in syndication on Me TV and other channels. In 1967, she starred as Neely O’Hara in the groundbreaking Valley of the Dolls. Throughout the years, she continued acting nonstop. She even starred in The Miracle Worker again, but this time as Keller’s teacher Anne Sullivan.
But her life was not easy, a very short lived marriage, alcohol abuse and eventually the diagnosis of bipolar disorder. That diagnosis saved her life and she brought awareness to it by talking about it on several talk shows. She wrote an autobiography called Call Me Anna, that is a must read, and starred in a movie of the week based on it. All of this brought bipolar disorder to the forefront and made people aware of it.
As the years went on she continued to talk about it and act constantly. Thirty years ago on March 15th, she married the love of her life Michael Pearce, moved to Idaho and had a son with him. She has two other sons that she raised with John Astin, Sean and Mackenzie Astin, both of whom are actors.
When I think of Patty Duke, I think of a woman who I revere first, and then the actress who I admire. She was so inspirational and someone Hollywood and the world will be talking about for decades to come because of the huge impact she left on it and left on us.
So today please honor this wonderful woman by watching one of her many great works to let her know that we will always love her. I know that is how I am going to spend the today.
Personally, I am sorry I have never met, but I am honored that was able to chat with her on the phone on more than one occasion. She was as warm as you would expect to her be.
