Tom Sizemore, 61, dies after aneurysm and stroke – action star known for Saving Private Ryan, Black Hawk Down, Born on the Fourth of July led a tumultuous life off-camera
- Tom Sizemore died at the age of 61 after his family took him off a ventilator
- The actor had been hospitalized since February 18 after suffering a brain aneurysm caused by a stroke
- Sizemore is best known for his roles in Saving Private Ryan and Black Hawk Down
Actor Tom Sizemore has died aged 61 after his family took his life last month after he suffered a brain aneurysm.
Sizemore – best known for his roles in Saving Private Ryan, Black Hawk Down and Pearl Harbor – died in a Los Angeles hospital after his family made the difficult decision on Friday to take him off a ventilator.
The actor had been hospitalized since February 18 after suffering a brain aneurysm caused by a stroke.
“It is with great sadness and sorrow that I must announce that actor Thomas Edward Sizemore, aged 61, passed away peacefully in his sleep today at St Joseph’s Hospital Burbank,” his representative Charles Lago said in a statement. “His brother Paul and twin boys Jayden and Jagger were by his side.”
Actor Tom Sizemore (pictured in January) has passed away aged 61 after his family took his life last month after he suffered a brain aneurysm
Sizemore was best known for his roles in Saving Private Ryan (pictured), Black Hawk Down and Pearl Harbor
Sizemore collapsed around 2 a.m. last month and was taken to the emergency room unconscious in a critical condition. He never regained consciousness.
This week his family announced there was not much more they could do for Sizemore as he showed no signs of improvement and remained in a coma. USA today reported.
“Doctors have informed the family that there is no hope and have recommended it [an] end-of-life decision,” Lago said earlier this week.
Tom Sizemore and ex-wife Maeve Quinlan at the 1998 premiere of Saving Private Ryan. Their couple were married between 1996 and 1999
The Pearl Harbor actor had a history of addiction and wrote a memoir about it in 2013 entitled: By Some Miracle I Made It Out of There.
“People could tell if you were drunk, so then I was like, ‘Hey, look, let me find a drug that I feel comfortable on,'” he told the AP in 2013. “But I did.” I found a drug and it was called cocaine. I did for a while. Then I found an even better drug, and it was called heroin.’
He also had a few run-ins with the law, including a 2003 assault conviction by his ex-partner Heidi Fleiss. He was also accused of groping an 11-year-old on set in 2020, but the lawsuit was later dismissed.
Prior to his hospitalization, Sizemore was reported to teach acting at Harvelle’s Nightclub in LA.
The Detroit-born Golden Globes nominee has starred in 230 roles in his 30-year career.
His manager also said he was personally “deeply saddened by the loss of not only my client, but also a close friend and mentor of nearly 15 years.”
Sizemore collapsed around 2 a.m. on February 18 after suffering a stroke followed by a brain aneurysm and was taken to the emergency room unconscious in a critical condition. Earlier this week, his family announced they would make end-of-life decisions
“Tom was the most genuine, kind and generous human being I have had the pleasure of knowing,” he said in a statement.
His ex-wife Maeve Quinlan, whom he was married to between 1996 and 1999, said: ‘My sincere condolences to the entire Sizemore family and Tom’s longtime manager Charles Lago. My thoughts and prayers go especially to Tom’s son Jayden and Jagger.”
His brother Paul also said he was “deeply saddened by the loss of my big brother.”
“He was larger than life,” he said in a statement.
Lago revealed that the actor’s 17-year-old twins will release a statement at a later date as they process the “devastating loss of their father.”
His funeral will be held privately in a few weeks, his representative said. The family has asked for privacy during this time.
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