Bill Paxton’s cause of death, confirmed

Bill Paxton was one of the most beloved character actors of all time. He somehow managed to be cowardly, charismatic, and comedic all in the same breath. His range was astounding, as evidenced by the number of classic films he had under his belt – and still holds the distinction of being the only actor ever killed on screen by a Predator, a Terminator, and a Xenomorph.

Paxton wasn’t slowing down, either. The actor lined up three films in the last two years of his life. One of which, The Circle, was released after his untimely death on February 25, 2017. Paxton’s death shocked the moviegoing public, given how active he still was and the fact that he was only 61 years old.

Bill Paxton’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit a year after his passing, which only bolstered the public’s curiosity as to what happened. Here’s a rundown of the actor’s official cause of death.

Bill Paxton had heart problems stemming from childhood

Bill Paxton contracted rheumatic fever as a child, which damaged his aortic heart valve. The actor revealed this during an appearance on the WTF with Marc Maron podcast. “I woke up one night,” he recalled. “I had been to a hockey game, and I woke up one night and I had a lot of pain in my left wrist.” Paxton was able to lead a healthy, adult life, but the damaged aortic heart valve would cause major health issues in 2017.

The actor was forced to undergo open-heart surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. The surgery was intended to repair the aforementioned valve, according to CNN, as well as fix an aneurysm that had resulted from the valve. Sadly, Paxton’s condition worsened immediately following the surgery, and he died ten days later.

Bill Paxton’s official cause of death, per the Associated Press, was a stroke.

Bill Paxton’s family sued the actor’s heart surgeon

Paxton’s family, however, felt that the work of surgeon Ali Khoynezhad contributed to the actor’s death. The family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Khoynezhad and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. They believed that both the surgeon and the hospital utilized “high-risk and unconventional methods” during the procedure.

The Paxton family was more than ready to substantiate their claims, but they agreed to settle out of court in 2022. “The matter has been resolved to the mutual satisfaction of the parties,” their lawyers, Bruce Broillet and Steve Heimberg said in a written statement. Bill Paxton was laid to rest at Forest Lawn Memorial Park of Hollywood Hills.