Hollywood was shocked when it was announced that 80s star Amanda Peterson had unexpectedly died at age 43, and now her Can't Buy Me Love co-star Patrick Dempsey is speaking out about the tragic loss. "In my memory, she will always be vibrant and young," Patrick tweeted. "Gone too soon. Sending my thoughts and prayers to Amanda's family."
The duo appeared as an on-screen couple in the 1987 hit and catapulted Patrick into stardom while it was Amanda's most famous role. In their 20s at the time, the starlet starred as high school cheerleader Cindy Mancini, whom Patrick's character, Ronald, pays to pose as his girlfriend.
Aside from her bond with Patrick, Amanda also touched the lives of many other stars who spoke out on social media after the news broke that she was found at her Greeley, Colorado home on Sunday.
"When I first came to L.A. and started auditioning, Amanda Peterson gave me advice, tips, friendship," wrote Neil Patrick Harris. "She just passed away at age 43. #RIP." Sarah Michelle Gellar echoed that sentiment writing, "When I was younger, I used to want to be #AmandaPeterson. I even asked my mom for a white leather fringe jacket #RipAmandaPeterson."
While the autopsy report is still pending, Amanda's
mother Sylvia told
Entertainment
Tonight
on Tuesday that she had seen her daughter a few days earlier
and saw no signs of being sick, but later said she had various health issues, including sleep apnea. "She was in bed, and she'd had a wonderful
day, and we were planning on a dinner the next day," Sylvia
told People Magazine on Tuesday. "So it was just a very, very big
surprise."
Sylvia added, "She was just so much fun,
and she was just great," Sylvia added. "She had a cute sense of humor
[and a] love of history – just a very, very cute person."