Cloris Leachman’s Official Cause of Death Revealed

Legendary actress Cloris Leachman passed away on Jan. 28 at the age of 94. The actress’s death certificate was released by San Diego county on Thursday, nearly three weeks after her passing. The certificate revealed that Leachmand had died from a cerebrovascular accident, otherwise known as a stroke.

It was also revealed that Leachman had been dealing with the health ramifications of COVID-19. While it was a serious condition that did contribute to her death, COVID-19 did not cause the stroke that killed her. Leachman was cremated on Feb. 7, and her remains are at her daughter Dinah Englund’s home in California.

Leachman was an Oscar and Emmy winner who enjoyed a successful and prolific career. Her film credits included The Last Picture Show, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, High Anxiety, The Beverly Hillbillies, and Spanglish. She was also beloved for her roles on television shows like The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Malcolm in the Middle, Gunsmoke, Lassie, Twilight Zone, The Facts of Life, Touched by an Angel, Raising Hope, and American Gods.

Leachman’s daughter was by her side when she died, and her longtime manager Juliet Green released a statement about her passing to ET. “It’s been my privilege to work with Cloris Leachman, one of the most fearless actresses of our time,” Green wrote. “There was no one like Cloris. With a single look she had the ability to break your heart or make you laugh ’till the tears ran down your face. You never knew what Cloris was going to say or do and that unpredictable quality was part of her unparalleled magic.”

Mel Brooks, who directed Leachman in one of her most memorable roles as Frau Blücher in Young Frankenstein, also released a statement mourning her death. “Such sad news — Cloris was insanely talented,” Brooks said. “She could make you laugh or cry at the drop of a hat. Always such a pleasure to have on set. Every time I hear a horse whinny I will forever think of Cloris’ unforgettable Frau Blücher. She is irreplaceable, and will be greatly missed.”

Leachman’s ability to make people laugh seemed to be a common thread. After her death, an interview where she talked about making Gene Wilder laugh on the set of Young Frankenstein made the rounds again. She spoke about her memorable “can be treacherous” line and how Wilder could not hold it together to get the shot. “As I turned to Gene, he’d be laughing, his face was in two pieces laughing,” she said in the interview. “We did about 15 takes. I hear him laughing, and I have not said anything. I just tickled him to pieces. Everything I did in the movie ticked Gene to pieces. And it was so much fun to work with him.”