Amanda Peterson: Arrests, Addiction and Troubled Road After ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’

Late actress was most recently booked in 2012 on DUI, drug paraphernalia charges

Amanda Peterson (Buena Vista Home Video; Weld County Sheriff's Office)
Buena Vista Home Video; Weld County Sheriff's Office

“Can’t Buy Me Love” star Amanda Peterson’s death shocked and saddened fans of the ’80s film and the Hollywood community on Monday — but as medical examiners search for a cause of death, the actress’ tragic story continues to unfold.

Peterson, 43, was reportedly arrested four times over the past two decades in her hometown of Greeley, Colorado, most recently on a May 2012 DUI and drug paraphernalia charge.

Additional arrests in 2000, 2003 and 2005 and their subsequent booking photos, unearthed by People magazine, show a significant departure from the fresh face that played opposite Patrick Dempsey‘s in the romantic comedy — and one even displays two black eyes.

Peterson’s mother, Sylvia, confirmed that her daughter battled addiction but had been clean “for a long time.” In a separate interview with “Entertainment Tonight,” Sylvia Peterson was adamant that drugs did not factor into her daughter’s death.

“This was not, in any way, a drug thing,” she said, also repeating earlier speculation that Peterson suffered from sleep apnea and hinting that the condition played a part in her death.

The actress stopped responding to calls and texts from family on July 3, two days before she was discovered in her home. Sylvia Peterson told People about her daughter’s mental state when the two spoke for the last time.

Amanda Peterson booking photos from 2000, top left; 2003, top right;  
2005, bottom left; and 2012, bottom right (Weld County Sheriff’s Office)

“She was in bed, and she’d had a wonderful day, and we were planning on a dinner the next day,” her mother said. “So it was just a very, very big surprise.”

It wasn’t all struggles for Peterson. Local photographer Ryan Hartsock recruited her for a car-and-motorcycle themed photo shoot in 2012, and said outreach from fans often gave her comfort.

“She had the greatest smile. I know it brightened her day when she got all the emails and fan mail from everybody,” Hartsock told People. “Really any time that we were together she was a kindhearted, great person.”

Peterson’s additional film credits included the 1989 Kirk Cameron-Jami Gertz drama “Listen to Me,” a 1990 appearance on Neil Patrick Harris‘ star-making sitcom “Doogie Howser, M.D.” and a 1994 film called “WindRunner.”

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