The death has been announced of the American actress Shelley Duvall, who starred in Stanley Kubrick's Stephen King adaptation The Shining and the films of Robert Altman. She was 75.

Duvall's longtime partner, Dan Gilroy, told the US entertainment trade publication The Hollywood Reporter that Duvall died in her sleep at her home in Blanco, Texas due to complications from diabetes.

"My dear, sweet, wonderful life partner and friend left us," Gilroy said. "Too much suffering lately, now she's free. Fly away, beautiful Shelley."

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Texas-born Duvall was discovered by director Altman and starred in a number of his films including Brewster McCloud, McCabe & Mrs Miller, Nashville, 3 Women, and Popeye.

Duvall said she kept working with Altman because "he offers me damn good roles".

"None of them have been alike," she told The New York Times in 1977.

"He has a great confidence in me, and a trust and respect for me, and he doesn't put any restrictions on me or intimidate me, and I love him."

Duvall won Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival for her work in Altman's 1977 psychological drama 3 Women but was best known for her performance as the terrified Wendy Torrance opposite Jack Nicholson's unhinged Jack Torrance in Kubrick's 1980 horror classic The Shining.

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Duvall told People in 1981 the 13-month job was gruelling and that Kubrick had her "crying 12 hours a day for weeks on end".

"I will never give that much again. If you want to get into pain and call it art, go ahead, but not with me," she said.

Among Duvall's other credits were the films Annie Hall, Roxanne, and The Portrait of a Lady and the series Frasier, LA Law, and The Twilight Zone.

After two decades away from acting, Duvall returned to the screen in 2023's The Forest Hills, her final film.

Duvall's fade from Hollywood prompted much speculation, over both her mental health and her appearance. In a 2024 interview with The New York Times, both she and Gilroy voiced exasperation at such treatment.

She indicated she felt betrayed by the industry in which she excelled, even as her body of work continued to earn her new fans.

"I was a star; I had leading roles," she said in the rare interview. "People think it's just ageing, but it's not. It's violence.

"How would you feel if people were really nice, and then, suddenly, on a dime... they turn on you?"

Additional Reporting: AFP