Bill Paxton, the popular actor who appeared in “Aliens,” “Twister” and “Apollo 13,” died of complications from surgery for an aneurysm that resulted in a stroke, according to his death certificate.
The report, obtained by TMZ, shows that Paxton, 61, underwent valve replacement surgery Feb. 14 after suffering an aortic aneurysm. He later had a fatal stroke on Feb. 25 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in LA.
Paxton was immortalized long before his big-screen days when he was photographed atop a man’s shoulders to watch President John Kennedy in Forth Worth, Texas, where the then-8-year-old was born.
It was 8:45 a.m. Nov. 22, 1963, just hours before the president would be assassinated.
“It was amazing to see President Kennedy because, God, I had mostly seen him on television in black and white, and there he was in living color,” he told the Star-Telegram. “And I couldn’t believe how red his hair was.”
Paxton moved to LA at age 18 intent on breaking into the film industry. His first role was in 1975’s “Crazy Mama,” before he set his sights on the Big Apple and spent two years at NYU.
Throughout the 1980s, Paxton landed minor roles in “The Lords of Disciples” and “The Terminator” before a memorable performance as the tough big brother Chet in “Weird Science.”
He went on to star in blockbusters like “Tombstone,” “Apollo 13,” “Twister” and “Titanic.”
His final big-screen role is alongside Emma Watson and Tom Hanks in the upcoming thriller “The Circle,” which remains in post-production.
Paxton most recently appeared in a lead role in the new CBS series “Training Day,” which debuted on Feb. 2.