Tom Sizemore, Natural Born Killers And Point Break Actor, Dies Aged 61 After Suffering Brain Aneurysm

Tom Sizemore, the US actor best known for roles in films including Saving Private Ryan, Point Break and Natural Born Killers, has died at the age of 61.

The actor had been placed into a coma in intensive care since suffering a brain aneurysm and collapsing at his Los Angeles home on February 18.

His manager Charles Lago confirmed to the AP news agency that he died in his sleep on Friday at a hospital in Burbank, California.

Shortly before his death, the actor’s family announced that they were “now deciding end-of-life matters”.

His first major appearance was in the 1989 Oliver Stone film Born On The Fourth Of July.

The performance opened doors in Hollywood and he carved out a niche playing the quintessential hardman, from gangsters to bodyguards and soldiers.

He secured supporting roles in blockbusters such as Point Break, True Romance and Natural Born Killers.

He was widely praised for his portrayal of professional thief Michael Cheritto in the heist film 1995 Heat, written and directed by Michael Mann and starring Al Pacino and Robert De Niro.

As well as movies, he also made a memorable contribution to the popular video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City voicing mob boss Sonny Forelli.

But serious substance dependency, abuse allegations and multiple run-ins with the law devastated his career, left him homeless and sent him to jail.

The Hollywood star had a history of drug addiction, details of which he shared in his autobiography.

He was married to actress Maeve Quinlan, known for her role in US soap opera The Bold and The Beautiful, between 1996 and 1999.

In 2003, he was convicted of domestic violence charges against former girlfriend Heidi Fleiss, and was ordered to complete a drug rehabilitation programme before beginning a jail term.

In 2018, an actor filed a lawsuit against him, claiming he allegedly groped her as an 11-year-old during production on the 2005 film Born Killers.

He strongly denied the allegation and the suit was dismissed.

He is survived by his 17-year-old twin sons, Jayden and Jagger, and his brother Paul, all of whom were reportedly by his side when he died.