John Heard, who is best known for playing Kevin’s father, Peter McCallister, in the beloved Christmas film Home Alone, passed away at the age of 72 on July 21 after suffering a heart attack due to heart disease, according to TMZ. His autopsy, performed by the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner’s Office, showed that the actor died of a “sudden cardiac death due to atheroscerotic and hypertensive heart disease.” The toxicology results from the autopsy have not been made public.
The actor’s body was found in a hotel in Palo Alto, CA, by a maid service, family sources told TMZ, when the news of his death broke on July 22. Police were called to respond to a medical emergency, but John was pronounced dead on the scene. The Big actor’s rep stated John was staying at the hotel to recover from “minor back surgery” he underwent on July 19 at Stanford Medical Center. Officials say the star’s “recent back surgery did NOT play a role in his death,” according to TMZ. Click here to see the saddest deaths of 2017.
Celebrities, co-stars, and fans immediately took to social media to mourn the loss of the star of so many iconic ’80s and ’90s films and TV shows. “Sad to hear of John Heard’s passing,” wrote actor Elijah Wood — who was lucky enough to work with John while filming 1992’s Radio Flyer when he was a little kid. “I had the pleasure of working with John Heard in #whitechicks,” Marlon Wayans, John’s co-star on the hilarious film tweeted. “He was a great guy Shared a lot of laughs. Sad to see such a good spirit and actor taken. Thank you for all your contributions to our beloved industry. May you live forever through your vast body of work. #ripjohnheard”
Along with the Home Alone films, Big, White Chicks and Radio Flyer, John was known for his parts in movies like Cutter’s Way, Beaches, After Hours and for roles on popular TV shows like Prison Break and Miami Vice. John even received an Emmy nomination for his guest starring role on the The Sopranos.
HollywoodLifers, were you shocked by John’s devastating cause of death? Let us know below.