Former child star and Oscar winner Patty Duke has died at the age of 69. Duke's manager confirmed her death to The Huffington Post in a statement. Anna “Patty Duke” Pearce passed away this morning March 29, 2016 at 1:20 a.m. Her 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.