Sam Shepard, Playwright And Actor From The San Gabriel Valley, Dies At 73

SOUTH PASADENA, CA — Sam Shepherd, the Pulitzer-Prize winning playwright and Oscar-nominated actor who grew up in the San Gabriel Valley, died from complications from ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, a spokesman for his family said in a statement.

Shepard died at his home in Kentucky on Thursday. He was 73. He was with loved ones at the time of his death, according to his family.

"The family requests privacy at this difficult time,” Chris Boneau, the family spokesman, said in the statement.

Shepard went to junior high in South Pasadena and graduated from Duarte High School in 1961, according to the Pasadena Star-News. While studying agriculture at Mt. San Antonio College, he fell in love with the theater.

Shepard received a Pulitzer Prize for his 1979 play "Buried Child" and was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in the 1983 movie "The Right Stuff." His 1983 play "True West" and the 1984 play "Fool For Love" also earned him nominations for the Pulitzer Prize. Most recently, Shepard played Robert Rayburn in the Emmy-nominated Netflix series "Bloodline," which marked his last on-camera appearance.

<br>

As a playwright, Shepard was active in the off-Broadway theater scene and worked at theater groups including La MaMa and Caffe Cino. Eleven of his plays, including the 1965 shows "Chicago" and "Icarus's Mother" and the 1966 play "La Turista," won Obie Awards, or Off-Broadway Theatre awards, presented by the Village Voice.

He directed plays at San Francisco's Magic Theater and the Royal Court in London and taught classes in drama and playwriting at the University of California, Davis. He also wrote a number of screenplays, including the winner of the 1984 Palme d'Ore at the Canne Film Festival, "Paris, Texas."

Funeral arrangements for Shepard remain private, and any plans for a public memorial have not yet been determined. He is survived by his children Jesse, Hannah and Walker, and his sisters Sandy and Roxanne Rogers.

By Feroze Dhanoa (Patch National Staff). Jonah Meadows and Paige Austin contributed to this report.

Photo by Clayton Chase/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images