Tom Sizemore, 'Saving Private Ryan' and 'Heat' Actor, Dead at 61

The actor died on Friday after being hospitalized for a brain aneurysm.

Mar 4, 2023 - 21:05

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Tom Sizemore, 'Saving Private Ryan' and 'Heat' Actor, Dead at 61

After suffering a brain aneurysm, Tom Sizemore has died, according to multiple reports.

The actor, famous for his performances in blockbusters like Saving Private Ryan, Heat and Black Hawk Down, died on Friday at a Los Angeles hospital. He was 61 years old.

Sizemore's rep, Charles Lago, told TMZ, "It is with great sadness and sorrow I have to announce that actor Thomas Edward Sizemore (“Tom Sizemore”) aged 61 passed away peacefully in his sleep today at St Joseph’s Hospital Burbank. His Brother Paul and twin boys Jayden and Jagger (17) were at his side."

Sizemore's death comes nearly two weeks after he collapsed at his Los Angeles home on Feb. 18 and was hospitalized with a brain aneurysm, which occurred as a result of a stroke. He remained hospitalized in a coma. On Feb. 27, Sizemore's manager revealed in a statement that doctors recommended an end-of-life decision and advised his family that there was "no further hope."

"The family is now deciding end of life matters and a further statement will be issued on Wednesday," the statement read. "We are asking for privacy for his family during this difficult time and they wish to thank everyone for the hundreds of messages of support, and prayers that have been received. This has been a difficult time for them."

CBS via Getty Images

The Michigan native's Hollywood career spanned nearly 35 years, including a Golden Globe nomination in 2000 for Best Performance by an Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television for Witness Protection.

Behind the scenes, Sizemore's personal troubles with drug addiction --his Heat co-star, Robert De Niro, once staged an intervention -- and run-ins with the law made headlines, among them a six-month prison sentence in 2003 for domestic violence against his former girlfriend, "Hollywood Madam" Heidi Fleiss. He was more recently arrested in 2019 for misdemeanor drug possession. In 2018, Kiersten Pyke filed a lawsuit against the actor, alleging he had groped her when she was 11 years old in 2003 while they were working together on the crime drama, Born Killers. Police investigated at the time, but charges were not filed. Sizemore denied the allegation and a judge dismissed the lawsuit in 2020.

"I humbly request that I not be assumed guilty of these accusations based on my checkered past," he said in part of a statement to USA Today at the time. "I have visited heartache upon my family, and many others, but I did not do this."

Sizemore was previously married to Bold and the Beautiful alum Maeve Quinlan.