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In childhood as in later life, actor, director, writer, and producer Orson Welles was prone to illness. By his mid-40s, he was permanently obese. Welles died sometime on the morning of October 10, 1985 following a heart attack. He was 70.
Hollywood was shocked by the early death of James Gandolfini. Celebrated for his role as Tony Soprano in the hugely successful TV show 'The Sopranos' (1999–2007), Gandolfini was enjoying a big-screen career when he died suddenly of a heart attack at the age of 51 in Rome, Italy, on June 19, 2013.
Singer-songwriter and record producer Luther Vandross died on July 1, 2005 at the early age of 54 after a heart attack. Vandross had previously suffered a stroke and was confined to a wheelchair in the months running up to his demise.
Larger-than-life comedy actor John Candy struggled with his weight for most of his adult life. It was one of the risk factors that ultimately led to his fatal heart attack on March 4, 1994 at age 43.
Legendary Grateful Dead singer-songwriter and guitarist Jerry Garcia, an influential figure during the counterculture of the 1960s, succumbed to heart failure on August 9, 1995. Garcia's struggles with substance abuse, weight issues, and sleep apnea were cited as contributory factors.
English-born Australian actor Peter Finch died of heart failure on January 14, 1977, one day after appearing on 'The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.' He was being feted for his role in 'Network' (1976) and went on to posthumously win the Academy Award for Best Actor.
James Coburn won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in 'Affliction' (1997). It was the pinnacle of a long career that ended on November 18, 2002, after the actor suffered a fatal heart attack at home.
Sources (The Guardian) (ESPN) (History) (NPR) (Rolling Stone) (The Hollywood Reporter) (Associated Press)
See also: Stars who died of alcoholism
After a second heart attack on November 16, 1960 proved fatal, Clark Gable's premature passing was blamed on his physically-demanding role in 'The Misfits,' released in 1961 and which costars Marilyn Monroe and Montgomery Clift.
Already frail but in good spirits, singer and actor Bing Crosby flew to Spain in October 1977 to play golf. He'd just completed a round with friends on October 14 when the 74-year-old entertainer collapsed and died instantly from a massive heart attack.
Argentine soccer star Diego Maradona is regarded as one of the greatest in the history of the game. His substance abuse and health problems in later life unfortunately caught up with him when died of cardiac arrest on November 25, 2020 while recovering from emergency brain surgery to treat a subdural hematoma.
One of Hollywood's most recognized "tough guys," Lee Marvin worked hard and played hard. A heavy drinker most of his adult life, Marvin's hellraising lifestyle contributed towards declining health in later years. On August 29, 1987, he died in hospital of heart failure prompted by multiple organ distress.
By all accounts, famed pop artist Andy Warhol was recovering well in hospital from gallbladder surgery when the 58-year-old subsequently died in his sleep on February 22, 1987 from a sudden post-operative irregular heartbeat.
Known for playing tough guys with a tender heart, Burt Lancaster was a leading man of classic Hollywood cinema. He lived a long life, but died after suffering a third heart attack aged 80 on October 20, 1994.
James Cagney is hailed as one of Hollywood's greatest movie stars. An athletic and healthy lifestyle saw the actor reach the ripe old age of 86 before his heart gave out on March 30, 1986.
James Stewart's strong morality and wholesome lifestyle served him well. He lived to 89 before succumbing to cardiac arrest prompted by a pulmonary embolism on July 2, 1997.
Christopher Reeve did his Superman character proud by surviving being thrown from a horse in May 1995 but nonetheless suffering catastrophic injuries that paralyzed him from the shoulders down. Reeve ended up in a wheelchair and ventilator for the rest of his life. On October 9, 2004, the brave actor suffered a cardiac arrest. The following day he died, aged 52.
Brittany Murphy's short and sometimes troubled life ended on December 20, 2009 when the actress died in hospital of cardiac arrest after collapsing at home. The primary cause of death was cited as pneumonia and multiple drug intoxication. She was 32 years old.
Richard Pryor is cited by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the best stand-up comics of all time. Pryor's personal life, however, was often anything but funny. Severely declining health led to the comic suffering a mild heart attack in 1977. In 1990, he suffered a second cardiac arrest. A third attack on December 10, 2005 killed him. Pryor was 65 years old.
On June 25, 2009, Michael Jackson's heart failed after his personal physician, Conrad Murray, had given the singer various medications to help him sleep. An unresponsive Jackson was rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He was 50 years old.
Tom Petty's death from cardiac arrest aged 66 shocked and surprised friends and admirers alike. The singer-songwriter died accidentally from mixed drug toxicity, a combination of medication taken by Petty to combat pain. The lethal dosage proved too much for his heart.
Roy Orbinson was enjoying a resurgence in popularity in the 1980s and was working hard with little rest when he collapsed and died from a heart attack on December 6, 1988.
After finally being found not guilty of alleged sexual assault and manslaughter in one of the most sensational scandals in Hollywood history, a fully exonerated Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, a hugely successful silent movie star of the early 20th century, was busily trying to rebuild his career when on June 28, 1933 he suffered a heart attack and died in his sleep.
Especially remembered for her role as Princess Leia in the 'Star Wars' films, Carrie Fisher had her own brush with the dark side after struggling with bipolar disorder and substance abuse. On December 23, 2016, Fisher experienced breathing difficulties while on a commercial flight from London to Los Angeles. The actress spent four days in intensive care before being declared dead on December 27 from likely cardiac arrest. She was 60 years old. One day later, Carrie Fisher's mother, Debbie Reynolds, passed away after suffering a stroke.
Among the many characters English comedy genius Peter Sellars brought to the big screen is the bumbling detective Inspector Clouseau in 'The Pink Panther' series of films. Sellars had a history of heart problems and died of cardiac arrest on July 24, 1980, aged 54.
Long-held claims maintain that the principle cause of Elvis Presley's fatal heart attack on August 16, 1977, was an addiction to prescription drugs. However, a 2020 biography by Sally Hoedel suggests that the king of rock and roll was medicating to address a series of congenital illnesses and degenerative health issues. She proposes that it was in fact bad genes that ultimately claimed the life of one of the world's most influential music artists at just 42 years old.
Lisa Marie Presley, the singer and daughter of Elvis Presley, passed away at the premature age of 54. She went into cardiac arrest at her California home on January 12, 2023, and died in hospital later that day. The coroner later revealed that she died of a perforated bowel caused by a past weight loss surgery. Sadly, she wasn't the first Presley to die at such a young age.
Jazz legend Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong was blowing his horn right up until the end. He played a two-week engagement in March 1971 in New York City at the Waldorf-Astoria's Empire Room. At the end of it, he was hospitalized for a heart attack. On July 6, he died in his sleep of heart failure, aged 69.
Heart-related illnesses are the number one cause of death around the world. Heart attacks, heart failure, and cardiac arrest take the lives of thousands of people every day in the US alone, and celebrities are in no way immune to these illnesses.
In some instances, a heart attack is perhaps not unexpected, with those who reached a ripe old age before passing on. But in other cases, a sudden cardiac arrest has robbed us of a cherished singer or movie star long before their time.
Click through and be reminded of some of those we've lost.
Celebrities who lost their lives to heart attacks
Famous entertainers who died of heart attacks, heart failure, and cardiac arrest
CELEBRITY Death
Heart-related illnesses are the number one cause of death around the world. Heart attacks, heart failure, and cardiac arrest take the lives of thousands of people every day in the US alone, and celebrities are in no way immune to these illnesses.
In some instances, a heart attack is perhaps not unexpected, with those who reached a ripe old age before passing on. But in other cases, a sudden cardiac arrest has robbed us of a cherished singer or movie star long before their time.
Click through and be reminded of some of those we've lost.