- Amanda Peterson died far too young
- She was only 43 years old
- Find out how she passed away
Amanda Peterson (†43) landed her first leading role as a young teenager in 'Explorers'. Although the film was not a great success, it laid the foundation for the careers of River Phoenix, Ethan Hawks and the young Amanda Peterson.
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After 'Can't Buy Me Love', Amanda Peterson (†) failed to find success
The young actress's biggest role at the end of the 1980s was that of "Cindy" in the teen comedy 'Can't Buy Me Love'. At the age of 16, she was at the peak of her career alongside Patrick Dempsey.
None of her next film projects were able to build on this success. In the mid-nineties, she decided to leave Hollywood and give up acting. Her father explained that she wanted to take a new path. In the years that followed, Peterson studied in her home state of Colorado, married twice and had two children.
How Amanda Peterson's (†) life tragically ended
However, her early fame did not leave the actress unscathed. She was arrested several times in the 2000s and it became increasingly clear what a bad mental state she was in. Her offenses ranged from drinking and driving and drug possession to assault.
On July 5, 2015, she was found dead at the age of 43 in her home in Greeley, Colorado. According to the Greeley Tribune, the Weld County coroner's report revealed that Peterson died of an accidental morphine overdose.
Her mother, Sylvia Peterson, told 'Entertainment Tonight' that her daughter struggled with drugs in her youth but had been clean for a long time, and that "this was not, in any way, a drug thing." She also spoke to 'People' and said she suspected her daughter's sleep apnea may have contributed to her death.
