Former teen star Amanda Peterson, who died on July 5 due to accidental morphine overdose after years of struggling with drug addiction and depression, was raped as a teenager.
The shocking revelation is made by the late star's parents, Sylvia and James Peterson, on the CBS show "The Doctors," wherein they declared that their daughter had suffered a brutal sexual assault at the height of her fame, an incident that left her traumatised and depressed for whole life.
Sylvia further told the show's host that the man who committed the crime was almost twice her age. The late actress' parents came to know about the incident only after two years, after which she insisted not to press charges against the culprit and seek rehab instead.
Although Amanda made a debut in show business in "Annie," she shot to fame when she starred opposite Patrick Dempsey in the 1987 hit "Can't Buy Me Love." She went on to star in several more films like "The Lawless Land" and "Listen To Me" but failed to achieve the huge success, The Wrap reported.
The late actress' father declared at the show that when he visited the former teen star in Hollywood when she was 21, she was already using heroin after which he admitted her in a rehab program.
After making her last film in 1994, the star returned to her home in Colorado to reunite with her family. Married and divorced twice, her life was marred with multiple arrests and substance abuse.
The mug shots of the late actress from different arrests, published by Daily Mail, show a significantly deteriorated face of the once fresh-faced beauty which went on to become the teen idol in late 1980s.