Amanda Peterson's family has revealed that the late "Can't Buy Me Love" star was raped at the age of 15.
Sylvia Peterson, Amanda's mother, spoke about the incident in an interview with "The Doctors," an incident Sylvia believes "affected [Amanda] forever."
Sylvia said Amanda had suffered the "serious trauma" at the height of the latter's career, explaining that the man who raped her was twice her age.
"She just felt so ashamed. She didn't want people to know," she said, according to Wonderwall.
Amanda's father, James Peterson, also said that the rape had led her to the path of drugs as well as suffering from "significant bipolar problems."
"She became more defensive, less trusting, some of the sparkle was gone," he said.
The actress was found dead in her home in Greeley, Colo. on July 5 and the cause of death was revealed to be an accidental morphine overdose. Her father revealed at that time that she had suffered from an illness and sleep apnea problem. She was 43 years old.
Amanda was best known for her role as cheerleader Cindy Mancini in the '80s teen rom-com "Can't Buy Me Love," as well as other TV series namely "Boone" and "Silver Spoons," according to Us Weekly.
