Amanda Peterson's tragic final photoshoot before she was found dead aged 43

Home Top

'The city made a mistake': Illegal immigrant who 'killed woman with rifle stolen from federal agent' appears in court - as Hillary Clinton joins condemnation of San Francisco for releasing him to kill
Father killed as he tried to launch firework called 'the medieval knight' from his CHEST: Second holiday display tragedy
Three people killed and one injured in quadruple shooting near University of Maryland, Baltimore campus
Trust me, 'everything I did was permitted,' storms Hillary as she finally gives a campaign interview and says secret emails are not a problem
Han Solo gets his own film! Disney announces spinoff movie for beloved Star Wars rebel hero set to debut in 2018
Professor who left University of Memphis in disgrace over racist tweets is hired by neighboring college - which CELEBRATES her anti-white views
New threat from Russia as Putin revives Cold War midget 'Piranha' submarines that are virtually undetectable
Michelle Obama reveals her 'modest' $600k changes to White House State Dining Room - months after her florist quit amid reports of 'infighting' between designers
Apple Watch is a FLOP: Sales of the gadget have fallen by 90% since April, report claims
The graphic that shows why BMI is useless: Scientists reveal how radically different body shapes can have the SAME readings
Titans of tech including Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk head to Sun Valley for annual 'billionaire summer camp'
Use baking soda on blackheads, eat marshmallows to soothe sore throats, and soak feet in hot water to cure migraines: The top health hacks for everyday ailments
The REAL city of 'Vinci': Corrupt, covered in industrial waste and home to a mysteriously dead local official - the California town that inspired the new season of True Detective
Jill Scott drops support of her mentor Bill Cosby after testimony finally offers 'proof of his terrible deeds'
Whoopi Goldberg downplays Bill Cosby's revelation he gave Quaaludes to woman before sex even JOKING about the drug as disgraced actor's accusers speak out
Paula Deen sparks yet another race row after posting a photo of her son Bobby in brownface on Twitter - before blaming and firing her social media manager
Beverly Johnson who says Bill Cosby drugged her in 1986 then told her to 'act drunk' for a part on his show as a PREGNANT woman is 'not surprised' he's admitted to giving a woman a sedative
Mother who was stalked and threatened with sexual assault for ten years learns the emails were sent by her HUSBAND
How junk food fools us into overeating: Scientists discover too much fatty food damages nerves in the stomach that tell us we're full
Why are more people seeing UFOs? Report finds alien craft sightings DOUBLED in June
Woman who posed for a selfie at scene of East Village gas blast has been hired as DNC spokesperson
Hero bystanders follow screams of 14-year-old girl into the woods and stop attempted rape before holding down suspect until cops arrived
The show goes on! Donald Trump hires two unknown hosts to replace Miss USA as his own contestants criticize him for illegal immigrant remarks in final rehearsals
'I despise them. Germany is the enemy': The Greek survivors of Nazi massacre who say 'No' vote wasn't just about austerity but continued resistance against 'occupation'

Amanda Peterson found dead at her Greely, Colorado, home on Sunday
Police were responding to a well-being call when they found her about 6pm
Peterson's final photoshoot from 2012 obtained by The Daily Mail Online
She shot to fame as a teenager with the 1987 film 'Can't Buy Me Love'
Left Hollywood in 1994 and moved back home to Greely, later marrying her second husband David Hartley and having two children
Her father said she had 'several medical issues' over the past two years, including pneumonia, sinusitis and sleep apnea
Police are investigating her death and an autopsy is being completed

Published: 09:14 EST, 7 July 2015 | Updated: 13:09 EST, 7 July 2015

129

View
comments

Fashioned as a sexy biker chick and straddling a motorcycle in an empty car park, Amanda Peterson stares vacantly into the lens of a camera in what would subsequently become her final photoshoot.

The tragic actress - who fled Hollywood in 1994 following the film 'Windrunner', having shot to fame as a teen rom com favorite - was found dead at her Colorado apartment on Sunday, aged 43.

Police do not suspect foul play and her mother has now said she was dead for two days before the body was discovered.

These photos - obtained by The Daily Mail Online and believed to be the last professional shoot Peterson took part in - were taken in 2012, showing the former 80's bombshell in thigh-high leather boots posing with a snake and in different custom cars.

In the grungy images, the mother-of-two is all-but unrecognizable to fresh-faced Cindy Mancini, the Arizona cheerleader she played in 1987's 'Can't Buy Me Love' - a role that would make her a superstar.

Scroll down for video

Tragic: This is believed to be the last photoshoot of failed actress Amanda Peterson, who was found dead at her Colorado home on Sunday night. She is believed to have died on Friday

Onetime icon: Peterson, the star of the 1987 film Can't Buy Me Love (left), is seen in the 2012 shoot fashioned as a sexy biker chick and posing with a snake (right), custom cars and a motorbike

The images were taken by photographer Ryan Harstock, who said Peterson had no intention of posing up but then finally agreed

Peterson had not acted since 1994, when she last appeared in Windrunners, but none of her roles were as big as Cindy in Can’t Buy Me Love

Peterson's father has suggested sleep apnea and other medical problems may have been contributory factors in her death

Final images: Peterson is seen in the photos striking sexy poses as she sits in cars and on motorcycles

Peterson's body was found at her apartment complex on July 5 after her family did not hear from her in days

Rock chick: According to the photographer of these images, Peterson agreed to be in the shoot so long as she was not heavily photoshopped and she wanted to choose the final photos

The images were taken by Ryan Harstock, photographer for RockHardChic.com, who said Peterson had no intention of posing up on the day but then finally agreed.

Harstock said Peterson had arrived at an event he was also working at to help out with hair and makeup.

She agreed to pose up for the photos so long as Harstock didn't 'photoshop the hell out of me'.

'So here she is in her natural beauty as per her request,' Harstock posted to his Facebook page.

'She was a beautiful lady inside and out and I'm honored to have known her over the past few years. She will truly be missed.'

Peterson's body was discovered at her home in an apartment complex in Greeley about 6pm Sunday after she had not been seen for two days.

Scene: The body of Amanda Peterson was found in her apartment in the 5100 block of 11th Street in Greely, Colorado, on Sunday night, after not being seen for two days

The cause of her death is currently unknown.

Peterson was born in Greeley and would have been 44 on Wednesday.

Her mother, Sylvia Peterson, told Fox News her daughter died Friday morning.

'It’s a big loss. Such a loveable person,' Mrs Peterson told the network.

'She had some medical problems with her heart but we don’t know the cause yet.'

Police responded to Peterson's home to check on her during a well-being call after there was a report she had missed an appointment.

Early days: She left Hollywood in 1994 (above in Can't Buy Me Love) and moved back home, later marrying her second husband David Hartley and having two children

Her father James confirmed to TMZ that they had become concerned when they didn't hear from her for a few days.

Her dad said she had been suffering from 'several medical issues' over the past two years, including pneumonia, sinusitis and sleep apnea.

'She had some illness and a sleep apnea problem that may have contributed,' he said.

He added that she had, at one stage, been living in a house with mold issues, but that she had moved out around a year ago.

The Tribune reported that her door was unlocked when officers arrived and found her dead inside the house about 6pm Sunday evening.

An autopsy was due to be performed on Monday.

Peterson was born Phyllis Amanda Peterson.

Her most famous role was opposite Patrick Dempsey in the 1987 teen romantic comedy Can't Buy Me Love.

In it she played cheerleader Cindi Mancini, whom nerdy high-school student Ronald Miller (Dempsey) pays $1,000 to pretend to be his girlfriend for a month.

In the end, the two wind up falling in love.

The film became an instant classic among teenagers, much like many of the John Hughes movies of the same time period.

It also made Peterson a star at a very young age, even earning her a Young Artist Award for Best Young Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy.

Amanda Peterson on her home and work life in 1987 interview

McDreamy: Her most famous role was opposite Patrick Dempsey in the teen romantic comedy (above), in which she plays cheerleader Cindi Mancini

The late Amanda Peterson stars in film Can't Buy Me Love

She began her film career aged nine as one of the orphans in Annie, having auditioned for and almost landing the lead role.

Her part was supposed to be minor and largely background, but she gained notice with her delivery of just one line during the film's popular song 'Sandy'.

At age 14 she starred alongside River Phoenix and Ethan Hawke in the sci-fi fantasy Explorers, which was both boys' film debuts.

Phoenix would die as a result of drug-induced heart failure less than 10 years later at the age of 23.

She also appeared in episodes of Father Murphy, Silver Spoons, and played Sunny Sisk in the NBC drama series A Year In The Life.

For her work on Life she won the Best Young Actress Starring in a Television Drama Series prize at the 1988 Young Artists Awards.

Her last movie was the 1994 fantasy/family film WindRunner, after which she decided to leave the entertainment industry and move to Colorado.

Just a few years before that she also had a bit part on Doogie Howser M.D., the show that first introduced the world to Neil Patrick Harris.

Big beginnings: At age 14 she starred alongside River Phoenix and Ethan Hawke in the sci-fi fantasy Explorers, which was both boys' film debuts.

Countless celebs shared their sadness over Peterson's death on social media Monday.

'When I was younger, I used to want to be #AmandaPeterson. I even asked my mom for a white leather fringe jacket #RipAmandaPeterson,' wrote Sarah Michelle Gellar.

'Cindy Mancini was my first crush. RIP Amanda Peterson,' said Scrubs and Clueless star Donald Faison.

Scott Foley meanwhile took to Twitter, writing; 'RIP Amanda Peterson. The teen in me is heartbroken.'

Tribute: Neil Patrick Harris was one of many celebrities sharing their anecdotes of Peterson after her death

According to her IMDb profile, she began studying for a Masters degree at Colorado State University in 2011, and was working on her autobiography.

She is survived by her husband David and their two children. She was one of three children born to Sylvia and Dr James Peterson.

It is not known where her husband and children were over the weekend.

Her first marriage to Joseph Robert Skutvik ended in divorce.

Even early in her career she seemed to enjoy Colorado more than Hollywood, saying during one interview in 1987: 'I separate both of those lives also because I’m from Colorado, so I have two different lives basically.

'Yes, it’s true, you have to be popular in this business in order to get work... That’s called "being well-known."

'But it’s different when you separate that from life and work. Work is different, because you have to do it in essence.'