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Obituaries

Darlene Cates | 'Gilbert Grape' actress, 69

Darlene Cates, 69, who played the housebound mother in the 1993 film What's Eating Gilbert Grape , died in her sleep Sunday at her home in Forney, Texas, according to her son-in-law David Morgan.

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Darlene Cates, 69, who played the housebound mother in the 1993 film

What's Eating Gilbert Grape

, died in her sleep Sunday at her home in Forney, Texas, according to her son-in-law David Morgan.

Ms. Cates was cast in the film as the morbidly obese mother of Johnny Depp, in the title role, and his younger brother, played by Leonardo DiCaprio.

She had been spotted by the film's screenwriter, Peter Hedges, while appearing on the Sally Jessy Raphael talk show, where she discussed her struggles with her weight.

The film, directed by Lasse Hallstrom, won acclaim for its sensitive portrayal of a troubled but loving family in a small Iowa town.

Ms. Cates later appeared on episodes of the television series Picket Fences and Touched By an Angel. - AP