Bitter Battle Over Shelley Duvall's Estate Explodes: Brothers Fight Long-Term Boyfriend Over Control of Her 6-Figure Property
Shelley Duvall's long-term boyfriend Dan Gilroy is fighting the late actress' brothers over her six-figure estate.
Sept. 5 2024, Published 4:00 p.m. ET
Shelley Duvall's long-term boyfriend is locked in an ugly court battle with her brothers over the six-figure estate and other assets the actress left behind when she died.
RadarOnline.com exclusively obtained court filings showing Shelley's partner of 34 years, musician Dan Gilroy, argued he had rights to her property as her "common law spouse". But her brothers, Stewart and Shane, quickly moved to block Dan's efforts because he and Shelley were not formally married.
At the center of the skirmish are Shelley's $606,420 home in Blanco, Texas, $50k in bank accounts, royalties and "miscellaneous personal property" including vehicles.
Shelley is known from her iconic role as permanently-petrified Wendy Torrance in 'The Shining'.
The feud kicked off shortly after her death because it was revealed the actress didn't leave a will behind. The iconic "scream queen" from The Shining died at the 11-acre Blanco property on July 11 — just days after her 75th birthday — due to complications from diabetes. She had no children.
Dan filed his application on July 18, arguing he was an heir to Shelley's estate due to their "informal" marriage. But Stewart contested this claim soon afterward, arguing he, Shane, and Shelley's third brother, Robert, were the only rightful heirs, and each should receive one-third of her estate.
Stewart asked to be named temporary administrator before the court makes an official ruling, which would give him control of Shelley's finances and property, "including, but not limited to, [her] household personal property, accounts and motor vehicles and real property".
The actress died just days after her 75th birthday following a battle with diabetes.
Late last month, Stewart argued Dan had no rights to Shelley's property because they "were not married at the time of [her] death, either formally or informally."
He even noted in his objection that Shelley's ex-husband, Bernard Sampson, should not be entitled to her assets. Shelley and Bernard legally wed in 1970 and divorced in 1974.
Stewart asked for the matter to be moved to a statutory probate court so the dispute over legal heirship could be resolved. The judge granted his request on September 3.
Shelley and Dan moved to Blanco, Texas for a quieter life in the mid-90s.
Shelley began dating Dan shortly before the pair appeared together in the 1990 Disney movie Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme. They fled Hollywood to live a quieter life in Shelly's home state of Texas in the mid-1990s. She worked sporadically before officially retiring from acting in 2002.
Dan, who was the lead singer of the band Breakfast Club, supported Shelley through her subsequent public struggles with mental illness.
RadarOnline.com visited the actress in 2017 at her Texas property, where she chain-smoked while rambling about aliens infiltrating the earth. She declared: “Oh come on! They're all over the place. Name a country.”
She also claimed to have been broke, said the grocery store was trying to drug her and complained she’d been“ imprisoned” at an unnamed medical center. The embattled actress told this outlet: “I was put in a facility. It was very subtle. They didn’t say, 'You're a prisoner,' but you can't get out.”
The actress suffered from mental health issues later in life.
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At the time, Shelley said she'd adopted her reclusive lifestyle because Gilroy warned she could get “hurt” if she didn't stay home.
A year earlier, she confessed on a controversial episode of Dr. Phil: "I'm very sick. I need help."
She returned to the silver screen for the last time in 2023 low-budget indie horror flick The Forest Hills.
When Shelley passed away, Dan told the Hollywood Reporter: "My dear, sweet, wonderful life partner and friend left us. Too much suffering lately, now she's free. Fly away, beautiful Shelley."
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