Shelley Duvall: Stephen King leads tributes to his star of The Shining

‘Too much suffering lately, now she’s free. Fly away, beautiful Shelley,’ her longtime partner, Dan Gilroy, said in a statement

The heartbreaking death of The Shining star Shelley Duvall has been met with an outpouring of tributes from fellow actors and colleagues.

Duvall, who starred as the wife of Jack Nicholson’s ax-wielding maniac in Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 Stephen King adaptation, died in her sleep from complications of diabetes. Her death on Thursday (July 11) comes just days after her 75th birthday on July 7.

“My dear, sweet, wonderful life partner and friend left us,” her longtime partner Dan Gilroy told The Hollywood Reporter. “Too much suffering lately, now she’s free. Fly away, beautiful Shelley.”

Prolific horror author Stephen King remembered her as a “wonderful, talented, underused actor,” tweeting: “Very sorry Shelly Duvall has passed.”

“Despite being dogged with exaggerations of her treatment on set, Shelley was always vocal about her experience filming The Shining saying she ‘wouldn’t trade it for anything’ because ‘working with loveable Stanley was a fascinating learning experience,’” the official X account of the late director Kubrick posted. “Our thoughts are with Shelley’s friends and family.”

‘Shelley’s career was varied and long,’ the Stanley Kubrick estate posted on X (Stanley Kubrick X account)

Over the years, Duvall repeatedly debunked claims that she struggled after filming The Shining or held a grudge against Kubrick. She previously said that “it was so difficult being hysterical for that length of time,” and described making the film as “almost unbearable.” However, she was also complimentary about the experience, adding: “But from other points of view, really very nice, I suppose.”

Scott Goldberg, who directed Duvall on her final film, 2023’s horror-thriller The Forest Hills, told People: “Shelley leaves behind an amazing legacy and will be missed by so many people, myself included. I am proud of her for overcoming adversity to act again and will always be forever grateful for her friendship and kindness.”

Ginny & Georgia actor Sabrina Grdevich commented on The Hollywood Reporter’s Instagram post about Duvall’s death: “Ohhhh how I adored her. Rest sweet Shelley.”

“This absolutely sucks,” actor and playwright Halley Feiffer wrote.

‘I’ll always be grateful for the memories I created with her and that I was able to give her comfort and companionship,’ Shelley Duvall’s friend, Sarah, tweeted (sarahlovesthat on X)

“Shelley Duvall was such a massive talent and played such a huge role in developing my imagination as a kid. Gonna watch this on loop today. RIP,” The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon writer Mike Drucker tweeted alongside a link to a video compilation of Duvall introducing herself over the years.

“I’ve seen the news about Shelley Duvall. I’m doing ok. Shelley was having difficulties with her health over the past few months and I visited with her often,” a young woman, Sarah, who befriended Duvall in her later years posted on X: “I’ll always be grateful for the memories I created with her and that I was able to give her comfort and companionship.”

The beloved actor went on to star in seven of Robert Altman’s films, including McCabe & Mrs Miller (1971), Thieves Like Us (1974) and Nashville (1975), which was considered her breakthrough. She also appeared in Jane Campion’s 1996 film The Portrait of a Lady.

Born the eldest daughter of Bobbie Ruth Crawford and Robert Duvall in Fort Worth, Texas, Duvall had three younger brothers: Scott, Shane and Stewart. She is survived by her partner Gilroy.