Oscar-winning actress Patty Duke has died at 69

Patty Duke, the Oscar-winning actress who was also the mother of Lord of the Rings star Sean Astin, has passed away at the age of 69.

According to The Wrap, she died due to sepsis that occurred because of a ruptured intestine.

In a statement, her manager Mitchell Stubbs said “She was a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a friend, a mental health advocate and a cultural icon. She will be greatly missed.”

Duke was a legendary actress who won an Oscar for her portrayal in The Miracle Worker as Helen Keller. She also starred in The Patty Duke Show and also had a run as president for the SAG.  One of her final roles was for the television show Glee.

She was born Dec. 14, 1946 in New York as Anna Marie Duke and she had her first Broadway role as Keller from 1959 to 1961.

When she won the Oscar for the movie version, she was 16-years-old and became the youngest person at the time to win an Oscar. She was married four times and had three children.

She is survived by her husband, Michael Pearce and sons, Sean and Mackenzie Astin and Kevin Pearce.

On his Facebook page, Sean posted a statement from his family that started simply "I love you mom."

Photo via YouTube