Frasier star John Mahoney died of complications caused by brain disorder, lung cancer, seizures, kidney disease and diabetes

  • John Mahoney's death was caused by multiple complications brought on by a host of health problems 
  • The Frasier star, 77, was suffering from brain and kidney diseases, lung cancer, seizures, and diabetes at the time of his death 
  • Mahoney had fought off cancer twice in his lifetime, with his first battle occurring in the 1980s when he was diagnosed with colon cancer 
  • He successfully battled the disease again three years ago 

The death of John Mahoney was caused by a number of serious health problems an autopsy revealed on Wednesday.

Mahoney, who passed away on Sunday at the age of 77, was suffering from brain and kidney diseases, lung cancer, seizures, and diabetes at the time of his death.

Those complications all played a role in causing the actor's death according to TMZ.

The Frasier star was receiving hospice care in Chicago when he passed away. 

Gone too soon: John Mahoney's death was caused by multiple complications brought on by a host of health problems (Mahoney above in 1998)

Gone too soon: John Mahoney's death was caused by multiple complications brought on by a host of health problems (Mahoney above in 1998)

Moonstruck: The Frasier star, 77, was suffering from brain and kidney diseases, lung cancer, seizures, and diabetes at the time of his death (Mahoney and Olympia Dukakis in Moonstruck)

Moonstruck: The Frasier star, 77, was suffering from brain and kidney diseases, lung cancer, seizures, and diabetes at the time of his death (Mahoney and Olympia Dukakis in Moonstruck)

Mahoney had fought off cancer twice in his lifetime, with his first battle occurring in the  1980s when he was diagnosed with colon cancer.

'I had made some of my biggest movies when I was diagnosed. I wasn’t going to let this cancer get me. I waited too long to do this,' revealed Mahoney.

'When I was told I had cancer, I said "I don’t care. Let’s do whatever we need to do to beat it. It’s not going to get me." And the doctors have always said that my attitude had a great deal to do with my cure.'

He went on to state: 'I just absolutely refused to be beaten by it. It sounds like I’m daring fate. But it’s the truth. It made me work 10 times harder, 10 times more. I turned nothing down and instead tried to do almost everything I was offered to make up for the years that I hadn’t been doing it when I should have. 

'I think that had quite a bit to do with my recovery. I did recover.'

Mahoney was already a celebrated theater actor when he was diagnosed, having been a member of the esteemed Steppenwolf Theater alongside the likes of Laurie Metcalf, John Malkovich, Gary Sinise and Joan Allen.

He won a Tony for his role in the Broadway production of The House of Blue Leaves in 1986, one year after he made his debut on the Great White Way in Oprhans.

And it was a theater writer who gave him one of his first big breaks in film, when he was cast in a crucial supporting role in John Patrick Shanley's 1987 film Moonstruck.

Mahoney played a detestable Lothario who was put in his place in one memorable scene opposite Olympia Dukakis, who along with the film's star Cher won an Oscar for her work in the movie. 

That film was followed by roles in such beloved classics as Say Anything, Eight Men Out, Barton Fink, The Hudsucker Proxy and Reality Bites.

Mahoney in the gay romantic comedy The Broken Hearts Club in 2000 (clockwise top left: Billy Porter, Mahoney, Ben Weber, Timothy Olyphant,  Andrew Keegan, Dean Cain, Zach Braff, and Matt McGrath)

Mahoney in the gay romantic comedy The Broken Hearts Club in 2000 (clockwise top left: Billy Porter, Mahoney, Ben Weber, Timothy Olyphant,  Andrew Keegan, Dean Cain, Zach Braff, and Matt McGrath)

It was around the time he wrapped filming on Reality Bites that he landed the role of Martin Crane on Frasier, which ran for 11 seasons and 263 episodes on NBC.

He earned two Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for his work on the show while also taking home the Screen Actor's Guild Award in 2000 for Best Ensemble in a Comedy. 

Mahoney did films as well during his time on the show, including critical hits such as The American President, Primal Fear, She's the One and The Broken Hearts Club.

He was then forced to deal with a second bout of cancer just four years ago, which he also spoke about with Fox News.

'I recently had cancer again, stage three, three years ago. And to tell you the truth, I thought I just had a bad cold. But doctors said it was inoperable. It sounded really, really terrible, like I was on the way out,' said Mahoney. 

'And now, according to my doctors, I’m clear of it now. I had my chemo, I had my radiation treatments, I lost my hair — the whole routine.'

He then said that having come through that, he was grateful. 

'But once again, I think a lot of it, in addition to having great doctors, is just I’m so, so incredibly, unbelievably happy with what I’m doing that I think it took over my healing an awful lot,' said Mahoney.

'I refused to yield to it because I love what I’m doing so much. And I refuse to sit at home and feel sorry for myself. Instead, I just want to get out there and do another job.'

 

 

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