Amanda Peterson, star of 'Can't Buy Me Love,' dies at 43

A screenshot of Amanda Peterson in the movie "Can't Buy Me Love."
Screenshot /YouTube

Amanda Peterson, who starred in the '80s movie "Can't Buy Me Love" alongside Patrick Dempsey, died Sunday at the age of 43, Variety reports.

The former actress was reportedly found alone at an apartment complex in Greeley, Colorado.

Peterson's mother Sylvia told ABC News that her daughter's death was "unexpected," and an autopsy will reveal the cause. 

In the film, Peterson played cheerleader Cindy Mancini, whom Dempsey’s character pays to pose as his girlfriend so he can make social inroads at their Arizona high school. The movie, directed by Steve Rash and with a title taken from the Beatles song, is among a set of teen angst classics of the period along with the John Hughes oeuvre.

Peterson had long since retired from show business, with her final screen credit in the 1994 feature “Windrunner.”

A few celebrities reacted to the news on Twitter.