Louis Gossett Jr. died from a lung condition according to his death certificate, TMZ reports.
According to the report by TMZ, a copy of the document obtained by the tabloid cited chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as the main cause of death. It also notes heart failure and atrial fibrillation as contributing conditions. It says he’d been battling COPD for years.
The death cert also notes Gossett’s body was set to be cremated — and it also lists his occupation as an actor who was working in entertainment.
As we reported Louis Gossett the first Black man to win the Best Supporting Actor Oscar passed away late last month in Santa Monica. At the time, no details about his death were released.
While he received acclaim for his stage roles through the ’60s and early ’70s, Gossett’s breakthrough in Hollywood came in 1977 when he played Fiddler in “Roots” alongside LeVar Burton and John Amos.
His other credits include … “Watchmen,” “Boardwalk Empire,” the ‘Iron Eagle’ film series, “Enemy Mine,” “The Deep,” and last year’s adaptation of the Broadway musical “The Color Purple.”
He’s survived by two sons Satie — from his second of three marriages — and Sharron who he adopted after seeing him on a television segment about at-risk kids.