Sam Shepard, actor, writer, and playwright, died yesterday of complications from ALS (aka Lou Gehrig’s disease) at age 73. Shepard will be mourned by many, including his partner of 27 years, actress Jessica Lange. Lange, who sat down recently to do an interview about her life and career, also talked about Sam Shepard, the father of two of her children, Hannah Jane Shepard and Samuel Walker Shepard. Although Jessica Lange and Sam Shepard never married, theirs was the longest relationship for both members of the Hollywood community.
In addition to Hannah Jane and Samuel Walker, Jessica Lange has a daughter Alexandra “Shura” Baryshnikov with dance legend Mikhail Baryshnikov. Lange spoke with AARP Magazine recently and talked about her recent role in the FX series Feud , where she played Joan Crawford. Lange also spoke about ageism in Hollywood. In the interview, Jessica Lange was also was asked about Sam Shepard, just weeks before his death. Lange talked about her time with the man who most recently starred in the Netflix series Bloodline with Sissy Spacek.
Broadway World reported that Shepard won the Pulitzer Prize in 1979 for the play Buried Child .
“The Broadway legend died peacefully at his home in Kentucky surrounded by his children and sisters on Sunday after a lengthy battle with Lou Gehrig’s Disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).”
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Jessica Lange explains that even though their relationship ended in 2009, the couple remained friends, and she remembers him fondly.
“I wouldn’t call Sammy easygoing and funny, but everybody has their dark side, and he always does it with a sense of humor.”
In the same interview, Jessica Lange talked about ageism and how she learned to put things that upset her in the past behind her and be happy. She says that she thought about retiring from the entertainment industry in 2013, but she is glad she didn’t.
“It’s the desire to do something brave, to be challenged.”
After relationships with Baryshnikov and Shepard were over, Lange says she had to make an effort to choose to be happy rather than angry.
“In recent years, I’ve tried to come to grips with the idea that you can actually choose to be happy. You can choose not to let things affect you negatively. I’ve always had such a quick temper. I realize now, it’s such a waste of energy. You can actually choose to let things roll off you.”
Jessica Lange says that she and Shepard broke up in 2009 , but they did not make the split public for two years. Lange finally went public in 2011, releasing a statement saying that the couple had been “pursuing independent lives” for some time now.
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Jessica Lange also says that though she loved being a mother to her three children, she loves being a grandmother even more.
“There’s the chance to do it again. It’s in the perfect order of nature: You raise your children, and then the next generation comes along. They are the redemptive force in nature. Plus, it’s easier!”
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Sam Shepard most recently played the patriarch in Bloodline . He also played the fan-favorite Spud in the movie Steel Magnolias . Since their break-up in 2009, Jessica Lange and Sam Shepard have been photographed together at several events.
[Featured Image by Paul Hawthorne/Getty Images]