Actress Patty Duke Is Dead at 69

[Onkel Neal]

Man, I had the biggest crush on her when I was in second grade

Only 69.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/...ead-69-n547326

Oscar-winning actress Patty Duke, a beloved child star who became one of Hollywood's most acclaimed actresses, is dead. She was 69.

Duke died Tuesday in Idaho from an infection after suffering a ruptured intestine, her manager said.

The Queens-born daughter of a troubled cashier and an alcoholic car driver, Duke overcame a dark childhood to hit the trifecta of stardom on TV, in the movies, and on Broadway. She was also president of the Screen Actors Guild from 1985 to 1988.

Duke rocketed to fame in the 1960s as the star of "The Patty Duke Show," which ran for 104 episodes over three seasons, and in which she played her rambunctious self as well as her more demure "identical cousin."

Diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1982, Duke devoted her later years to championing mental health programs and raising her three sons, two of whom — Sean and Mackenzie Astin — followed in their mother's footsteps and became actors as well.

"I love you Mom," Sean Astin, who played Samwise Gamgee in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, said in a statement confirming his mother's death.