Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Actor Michael Clarke Duncan, known for his Oscar-nominated role in the movie The Green Mile, died of a heart attack in a Los Angeles hospital on Monday. He was 54.
Duncan was hospitalized in July after suffering a heart attack. According to media reports, Duncan’s fiancee, Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth, saved his life by performing CPR before paramedics arrived.
In early August, Duncan was moved out of the hospital’s cardiac intensive care unit and into a private hospital room — a sign that his condition had improved.
But on Sept. 3, according to the actor’s publicist, Duncan succumbed to another heart attack. Manigault-Stallworth had reportedly left his hospital room and returned to find him deceased.
Duncan began his acting career doing bit parts in television and films, including Ice Cube’s Friday (1995) and The Player’s Club (1998). Between roles, Duncan supplemented his income working as a bodyguard for celebrities such as Will Smith, LL Cool J and The Notorious B.I.G.
In 1998, Duncan met actor Bruce Willis on the set of Armageddon. Willis was instrumental in helping Duncan land his star-turning role as John Coffey in The Green Mile. The movie made Duncan an overnight star, earning him nominations for an Oscar and a Golden Globe.
Most of the roles offered to Duncan focused on his massive size (he was 6-5 and 315 pounds). In 2002, on the advice of his doctor, Duncan lost 20 pounds. He declined to accept roles that required him to gain more weight, and in 2009 he stopped eating meat.
That same year Duncan appeared in PETA ads touting the health benefits of eating a vegetarian diet. In 2012, Duncan appeared in a public service announcement campaign that called attention to the signs and symptoms of strokes.
Duncan is survived by his mother, Jean, and his sister, Judy. He had no children.
This is so sad!!!