Major Causes of Death: Accidental | Cancer | Drug | Heart Attack | Heart Failure | Lung | Natural Cause | Suicide

Cardiac Arrest

Vonetta McGee, 1970's blaxploitation actress (Blacula), dies 65

Lawrence Vonetta McGee (January 14, 1945 – July 9, 2010) was an American actress.

Vonenna McGee became well-known for her parts in the 1972 Blaxploitation films Melinda and Hammer.

In the action thriller Shaft in Africa (1973), McGee took the role of Aleme, the daughter of an emir, who teaches John Shaft (Richard Roundtree) Ethiopian  geography. She also starred alongside Clint Eastwood in the action thriller The Eiger Sanction (1975).

Death of Vonetta McGee
In 1987, McGee married the actor Carl Lumbly; they have one child. McGee passed away from a cardiac arrest on July 9, 2010.

Vonetta McGee on Soul Train (interview)

Brittany Murphy, voice of Luanne from King of the Hill 32

Brittany Murphy (November 10, 1977 – December 20, 2009) was an American actress and recording artist. She starred in films such as Just Married, Clueless, Girl, Interrupted, 8 Mile, Sin City, The Dead Girl, Uptown Girls, Riding in Cars with Boys and Spun.

Murphy starred in many successful films, including Clueless (1995), Girl, Interrupted (1999), Don't Say a Word (2001), the TV adaption of the novel The Devil's Arithmetic (2001), 8 Mile (2002) and Uptown Girls (2003) as well as many lesser-known films, such as Spun (2003). In 2004, she starred in the romantic comedy Little Black Book, and the critically acclaimed Sin City (2005). She starred in two Edward Burns films: Sidewalks of New York (2002) and The Groomsmen (2006). In 2009, she was cast in the Lifetime TV movie, Tribute, as the main character, Cilla.

Death of Brittany Murphy
On December 20, 2009, Murphy was rushed to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and pronounced dead.  Her family said Brittany Murphy suffered flu-like symptom before death.

Cause of death
February 4, 2010, the Los Angeles County coroner stated that the primary cause of Murphy's death was pneumonia, with secondary factors of iron-deficiency anemia and multiple drug intoxication.

February 25, 2010, the coroner released a report stating that Murphy had been taking a range of over-the-counter and prescription medications, with the most likely reason being to treat a cold or respiratory infection. These included "elevated levels" of hydrocodone, acetaminophen, L-methamphetamine and chlorpheniramine. All of the drugs were legal and the death was ruled to be an accident, but the report observed: "the possible adverse physiological effects of elevated levels of these medications cannot be discounted, especially in her weakened state"

Brittany Murphy on Letterman

Updates

  • July 26, 2010 - Investigation is underway for possible toxic mold that might have killed both Brittany Murphy & her husband Simon Monjack.
  • May 24, 2010 - Brittany Murphy's husband Simon Monjack dies in the same apartment, same room, for same cause of death. Brittany Murphy's mother discovers the body (the same person who found Brittany Murphy's body months earlier)
  • February 25, 2010 - Brittany Murphy's death was ruled "Accident"
  • February 4, 2010, the Los Angeles County coroner stated that the primary cause of Murphy's death was pneumonia, with secondary factors of iron-deficiency anemia and multiple drug intoxication.
  • Dec 23, 2009: Retailers are pulling Brittany's new movie poster "Deadline" - The poster shows Brittany in the bath tub (looked like she's dying).
  • Dec 21, 2009: Autopsy is completed, but it may take up to 6 weeks for the result to be released (especially toxicology result). Autopsy found no signs of trauma.  The family said she suffered "flu like symptom" before death.
  • Dec 21, 2009: Hulu & YouTube pulled 'SNL' Brittany Murphy skit.
  • Dec 20, 2009: Autopsy is underway.  Her husband originally didn't want autopsy.  He claimed autopsy was against his Jewish belief.

Related Pages

 

Brittany Murphy's Filmography & Television on next page

'Godfather' singer Al Martino dies 82

Al Martino (born Alfred Cini, October 7, 1927 – October 13, 2009) was an Italian American singer and actor. Allmusic journalist Steve Huey states, "Martino was one of the great Italian American pop crooners, boasting a string of hit singles and albums that stretched from the early 1950s all the way into the mid 1970s. However, he was perhaps even better known for his role in The Godfather as singer Johnny Fontane, a character supposedly based on Frank Sinatra, but with eerie similarities to Martino's own career."

In the U.S., Martino had eleven Top 40 hits in the Billboard pop singles chart in the 1960s and 1970s, with 1963's "I Love You Because" (#3) and 1964's "I Love You More and More Every Day" (#9) both reaching the Top Ten. He also sang the title song for the film, Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964), and is credited in the end titles of the film.

Apart from singing, Martino played the role of Johnny Fontane in the 1972 film The Godfather, as well as singing the film's theme, "I Have But One Heart (O Marenariello)". He played the same role in "The Godfather Part II and The Godfather Part III, as well as The Godfather Trilogy: 1901-1980.

Death of Al Martino
Al Martino died at his childhood home in Springfield, Pennsylvania.
Al Martino was 82 years old at the time of his death.

Al Martino - I have but one heart

Gordon Waller, British Singer, 'I Go to Pieces', dies 64

Gordon Trueman Riviere Waller (June 4, 1945 - July 17, 2009) was a singer–songwriter–guitarist, best known as "Gordon" of the 1960s duo Peter and Gordon, whose biggest hit was "A World Without Love".

Gordon Waller Bio
Waller was born in Braemar, Scotland. While attending Westminster School, he met fellow student Peter Asher, and they began playing together as a duo — Peter and Gordon. Asher mentioned in a 2006 interview that "Our voices are quite different, Gordon's and mine, but we tried singing together experimentally and we found that we could achieve this very nice harmony".

Asher is the older brother of actress and businesswoman Jane Asher, who in the mid-1960s was girlfriend of The Beatles' Paul McCartney. Through this connection he and Waller were often given unrecorded Lennon–McCartney songs to perform, most notably their first and biggest hit, 1964's decidedly Beatlesque "A World Without Love".

Peter and Gordon disbanded in 1968.

Death of Gordon Waller
Gordon Waller went into cardiac arrest on the evening of July 16, 2009 and died early in the morning of July 17, 2009 at a hospital near his home in Ledyard, Connecticut.

A world without love - Peter and Gordon
Gordon Waller on Left

I Go to Pieces - Peter & Gordon
Gordon Waller on Left

Richard Pryor - comedian, died 2005

Hollywood Walk of FameEmmy Winner - Lily 1974Grammy Award WinnerGrammy Award WinnerGrammy Award WinnerGrammy Award WinnerGrammy Award Winner 

Richard Prior ComedyRichard Prior
Buy from Amazon.com: Richard Pryor DVDs

Richard Priyor's DeathRichard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor III (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American comedian, actor, and writer.

Pryor was a storyteller known for unflinching examinations of racism and customs in modern life, and was well-known for his frequent use of colorful language, vulgarities, and racial epithets such as "nigger", "honky," "cracker," and "motherfucker." He reached a broad audience with his trenchant observations, although public opinion of his act was often divided. He is commonly regarded as the most important stand up comedian of his time: Jerry Seinfeld called Pryor "The Picasso of our profession"; Whoopi Goldberg cited him as her biggest influence, stating "The major influence was Richard - I want to say those things he's saying." Bob Newhart has called Pryor "the seminal comedian of the last 50 years."

Death of Richard Pryor
Ricahrd Pryor died of cardiac arrest in Encino, California. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital at 7:58 a.m. PST.
Richard Pryor was 65 years old at the time of his death.He was brought to the hospital after his wife's attempts to resuscitate him failed. His wife Jennifer was quoted as saying, "At the end, there was a smile on his face."

Walter Matthau - Academy award winning actor (The Odd Couple)

Hollywood Walk of FameAcademy Award WinnerGolden Globe Award Winner 

Walter Matthau Died 2000Walter Matthau death
Buy from Amazon: Walter Matthau movies

Walter Matthau DeathWalter John Matthau (October 1, 1920 – July 1, 2000) was an Academy Award-winning American actor best known for his role as Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple and his frequent collaborations with fellow Odd Couple star Jack Lemmon.

Death of Walter Matthau 
Walter Matthau died of full cardiac arrest on July 1, 2000 in Santa Monica, California.
Walter Matthau was 79 years old at the time of his death.

After heart surgery, doctors discovered that he had colon cancer, which had spread to his liver, lungs and brain. However, on his death certificate the causes of death are listed as cardiac arrest and atherosclerotic heart disease, with ESRD and atrial fibrillation added as "other significant conditions contributing to death but not related to [primary] cause..."

He is interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Westwood, California, next to fellow actor George C. Scott.

Almost exactly one year after Walter Matthau's death, Jack Lemmon was also buried at the cemetery, after dying from cancer. After Matthau's death, Lemmon as well as other friends and relatives appeared on Larry King Live in an hour of tribute and remembrance; poignantly, many of those same people appeared on the show one year later, reminiscing about Lemmon.

His widow, Carol, died of a brain aneurysm in 2003.

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