Following the death of Shelley Duvall, the star of The Shining and Popeye, her biggest fan has revealed that she knew her health was in decline before it was made public.
News of Duvall’s death broke yesterday, July 11, with her partner Dan Gilroy and spokesperson Gary Springer confirming the news to The Hollywood Reporter.
Younger fans of Duvall may have engaged with her work – including iconic horror movie The Shining – through the Shelley Duvall Archive, a popular X/Twitter account. Sarah, the curator of the account, spent plenty of time with Duvall in her later years.
“I knew this was coming so I visited with Shelley often,” she explained.
“Weirdly enough, I was thinking deeply about her this morning and the recent meeting we had right before I found out. Not sure how to navigate losing a friend but also my idol. This is not the end of my page.”
Pretty flowers for the most gorgeous girl in my life, Shelley Duvall💐💖🫂My Saturday afternoon was spent with Shelley under the blazing Texas sun with some iced coffees, sugar cookies, and kolaches celebrating her 74th year and making her feel so special and loved. pic.twitter.com/bqhqcCTCQU
— Shelley Duvall Archive (@shelleyduvallxo) July 9, 2023
In a later tweet, she added: “I have a sense of peace and calm over me right now and maybe that feeling is from her. I knew Shelley’s health was declining over the past few months but I didn’t want to post about it publicly. She was so appreciated and cherished until the end.”
Alongside meticulously documenting the star’s life and work, Sarah also spent personal time with Duvall in her home state of Texas, which included her 74th birthday – two days before her death.
Sarah cherished a genuine friendship between the two, often taking pictures together and listening to music the pair both enjoyed.
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Most recently, she mentioned Duvall enjoying Sabrina Carpenter’s Espresso the week before her death. A playlist of Duvall’s favorite songs can be found here.
While tributes for Duvall poured in across social media, the archive account also stepped in to stop “directing hate” over Stanley Kubrick’s controversial treatment of Duvall during the filming of The Shining.
This later led to a divisive Dr. Phil interview in 2016, though the TV personality has insisted he has “no regrets” over how he handled it.
“Actually can we please not direct hate to anyone anymore and just focus on the lasting legacy that Shelley left rather than speculation. There’s room for more kindness in this world, which Shelley always supported,” one of her tweets reads.
Duvall last spoke publicly via People Magazine in 2023. She described her 20-year sabbatical from the spotlight as “really important,” adding of her comeback: “Acting again – it’s so much fun. It enriches your life.”
Find new movies and movies streaming this month, alongside the best horror movies on Prime Video.
