Tab Hunter’s Cause of Death Revealed

More than a month after actor Tab Hunter died, TMZ reports that his cause of death was cardiogenic shock. He was also reportedly suffering from prostate cancer at the time of his death, according to his death certificate.

Cardiogenic shock occurs when the heart can’t pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs. Hunter’s death certificate also details a massive pulmonary embolism that contributed to his death. A representative for Hunter previously told The Hollywood Reporter that he died from a blood clot.

The 1950s heartthrob actor known for his boyish good looks and roles in Damn Yankees and The Burning Hills died last month in Santa Barbara three days shy of his 87th birthday. The actor was also a singer with a No. 1 record, with chart-topping hits under his belt like “Young Love” (which replaced Elvis Presley’s “Too Much”).

Hunter came out as gay in 2005 when he published his autobiography, Tab Hunter Confidential: The Making of a Movie Star. He wrote about publicity stunts coordinated by studios to mask his homosexuality, like when he was linked to co-stars and friends like Debbie Reynolds and Natalie Wood. He was constantly dogged by rumors that he was gay throughout his career — a rumor that could have potentially ended his career at the time.

Despite becoming a gay icon, he told Slant in 2015 that he was never fully comfortable discussing his sexuality.

“I just have never been comfortable talking about my sexuality,” he said at the time. “I think it was easier with [the documentary] because it was quite a few years later after the book. But it’s still not my comfort zone. I was just brought up that way. I’m very old-fashioned.”

He even said that he opened up about being gay because he wanted to get ahead of the story. He said that he had been told by producer Allan Glaser, his romantic partner for more than 30 years, that someone was planning to write a book about him.

“I thought, ‘Look, get it from the horse’s mouth and not from some horse’s ass after I’m dead and gone,’” he told THR in 2015. “I didn’t want someone putting a spin on my life.”

A feature documentary about him, Tab Hunter Confidential, was released in 2015 and produced by Glaser.

“If I had come out during my acting career in the 1950s, I would not have had a career,” Hunter said in a 2017 interview with the Pocono Record. “Not much in Hollywood has changed in 60 years. I really didn’t talk about my sexuality until I wrote my autobiography.”