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Suffering a fatal stroke during heart surgery last week, Bill Paxton had only revealed earlier last month that he had suffered from rheumatic fever as a 13-year-old, which can cause permanent damage to the heart.
‘I spent a good part of seventh grade in bed,’ the 61-year-old star revealed of his ordeal, before admitting the illness had damaged his heart valves. While details regarding Bill’s exact condition remain unknown, the actor was said to be nervous but optimistic about the operation, with director Doug Liman revealing Bill was making plans to return to work in the near future.
‘Even facing major surgery, his optimism for the future was infectious,’ Doug told the Daily News. ‘He was talking about the future, things we hoped to do together.’
Describing him as a ‘beloved and prolific actor and filmmaker’ and ‘adored husband and father’, his wife of 30 years Louise Newbury and their children James and Lydia say his passing has left them with ‘heavy hearts’.
Having starred in flicks such as Apollo 13, Twister and Aliens, Bill had built up quite the body of work over his 41-year career, and had cemented his status as one of Tinseltown’s favourites in the process.
Tributes flooded in from his many co-stars on receiving news of his sad and unexpected death, with Tom Hanks describing him as a ‘wonderful man’ and Jamie Lee Curtis saying he was a ‘funny, talented, loving human’.
For the full story, see this week’s New Idea – out now.
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