(RNN) – Actress and mental health advocate Patty Duke has died at the age of 69.
Her son, actor Sean Astin, posted a statement to Facebook on behalf of his family. He started with, “I love you, mom.”
“This morning, our beloved wife, mother, grandmother, matriarch and the exquisite artist, humanitarian and champion for mental health, Anna Patty Duke Pearce, closed her eyes, quieted her pain and ascended to a beautiful place,” the family said. “We celebrate the infinite love and compassion she shared through her work and throughout her life.”
Astin also announced the effort to establish the Patty Duke Mental Health Initiative.
Her representative, Mitchell Stubbs, said the cause of death was sepsis from a ruptured intestine.
“She was a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a friend, a mental health advocate and a cultural icon,” Stubbs said in a statement. “She will be greatly missed.”
READ MORE: Cleveland19.com
Article Courtesy of WOIO Cleveland 19 News
Picture Courtesy of Getty Images
