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‘Godfather’ Star James Caan Cause of Death Revealed
Actor James Caan died from a combination of serous heart problems, according to TMZ, which obtained his death certificate.
James Edmund Caan was born March 26, 1940, in New York to German immigrants, Arthur Caan and Sophie Falkenstein.
The 82-year-old divorced actor died at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center July 6. The cause of death listed by the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office was chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and congestive heart failure.
His family announced Caan’s death with a post to his verified Twitter account.
“It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Jimmy on the evening of July 6,” the family remarked. “The family appreciates the outpouring of love and heartfelt condolences and asks that you continue to respect their privacy during this difficult time.”
“End of tweet.”
He was buried two days after his death in Eden Memorial Park, about 20 miles from Beverly Hills where he lived before his death.
The prolific actor starred in an early Western with John Wayne, played doomed football player Brian Piccolo in “Brian’s Song,” acted in”Misery,” “A Bridge Too Far” and played a casino security director in a TV series, “Las Vegas,” for years.
Despite all his other movie and TV roles, he was always associated with the short-tempered womanizing Sonny Corleone, the role he played in the 1972 hit movie “Godfather.”
“One of the things that made ‘The Godfather’ successful, besides brilliant directing and writing and wonderful actors,” Caan said in a March interview with the New York Post, “was that everyone really enjoyed making it, and that comes off on the screen.”
“And I think the audience can tell that we were having a good time doing what we were doing up there.”
