James Kahn revealed the cause of death by the Los Angeles County medical examiner – Deadline

James Canwho had an outstanding performance in The godfather, the sprite And the misery It made him a screen icon, and the cause of his death was revealed by a Los Angeles County detective.

The 82-year-old died earlier this month of a heart attack and coronary artery disease, according to the county report.

His family announced his death earlier in July on the actor’s official Twitter account.

“It is with great sadness that we inform you of Jimmy’s passing on the evening of July 6th,” Tweet reads. “The family appreciates the outpouring of love and heartfelt condolences and asks you to continue to respect their privacy during this difficult time.”

After a decade working in show business, Kahn rose to fame in the early 1970s with back-to-back signing roles. Emmy nominated for real-life Chicago Bears running cancer running back Brian Piccolo on ABC’s brian song, alongside Billy Dee Williams as fellow Bears running back Gail Sayers. The heart-wrenching tale of a strong friendship between the NFL’s first roommates was the most-watched television movie of all time at that point, with a rating of 32.9/48 and went on to win five Emmy Awards including for Outstanding Single Program – Drama or Comedy.

In a 2011 interview with the Television Academy Foundation (Watch it over here), Emmy Award winner Brian’s song Screenwriter William Blaine said, “Jimmy Jimmy. He’s always been conceited and confident. Very competitive. Edgy, in the best sense of the word. But he’s a guy who has all the pluses and minuses you can get.”

Kahn followed this success with his most famous role: the reckless, violent and vengeful Sonny Corleone, the eldest son of Don Corleone (Marlon Brando), in Francis Ford Coppola. The Godfather. The film adapted from Mario Puzo’s bestselling book has won the Best Picture Oscar and is considered among the greatest films of all time. The death of Kahn on screen in a hail of bullets is considered one of the best movies of the cinema.

Eric Pedersen contributed to this report.