One of Hollywood’s most respected leading men died on Wednesday July 6, and now James Caan‘s cause of death has been revealed. The Oscar-nominated Godfather icon, 82, died from heart attack and coronary artery disease per the document obtained by TMZ. The official coroner’s report/medical statement stated that James also suffered from obstructive pulmonary disease and congestive heart failure, and succumbed to the conditions at 9:02 PM at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, California on July 6. The iconic actor has been buried at Eden Memorial Park.
The actor’s family took to his official Twitter account on July 7 to announce the heartbreaking news of his death. “It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Jimmy on the evening of July 6,” they wrote. “The family appreciates the outpouring of love and heartfelt condolences and asks that you continue to respect their privacy during this difficult time.” James’ gravitas in Hollywood commanded an immediate outpouring of love and condolences from his celebrity friends.
Al Pacino, who starred as Michael Corleone in The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II opposite James’ Sonny Corleone, told HollywoodLife in a statement, “Jimmy was my fictional brother and my lifelong friend. It’s hard to believe that he won’t be in the world anymore because he was so alive and daring. A great actor, a brilliant director and my dear friend. I’m gonna miss him.”
Barbara Streisand, who co-starred with James in the 1975 classic Funny Lady wrote, “I’m so sorry to hear about Jimmy. He was so talented,” in a July 7 Tweet. James had no shortage of memorable roles. He also co-starred as a dad on the naughty list in 2003’s Elf, starring Will Ferrell and directed by Jon Favreau, as well as Misery (1990) opposite Kathy Bates and For the Boys (1991) opposite Bette Midler.
Though the actor had been ailing in recent years, he did appear as recently as 2021 in the romantic comedy Queen Bees alongside Ellen Burstyn, Ann-Margret, and Christopher Lloyd.