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Story summary
- Barbara Gordon, an Emmy Award–winning documentary writer and director, died on April 7 in Manhattan at age 90.
- Her 1979 memoir, I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can, chronicled prescription-pill abuse and mental illness during a less understood era.
- Gordon's addiction to Valium led to a severe mental breakdown and months in mental hospitals.
- After recovery, she faced stigma and difficulty finding work in the industry she had served for 20 years.
