Sepsis and Celebrities

Many celebrities and public figures have been affected by sepsis. Some survived their bout with the disease, but others died. Sepsis is an equal opportunity illness – it can affect anyone of any social status, age, ethnicity, or beliefs.

All too often, however, the media that report celebrities illnesses or deaths from sepsis fail to say the word. They often say that the person has died of complications of pneumonia, surgery, or cancer, for example. If someone has died of an infection, such as pneumonia or the flu, or an infection from surgery, he or she has died from sepsis. If someone develops an infection serious enough that they must be treated in the hospital with IV fluids and antibiotics, chances are that they have sepsis.

Below is a list of celebrities who Sepsis Alliance knows have had sepsis or believes they did due to the news reports. If you know of any celebrities that you feel should be added to this list, please send the information to info@sepsis.org.

Suggested Citation:
Sepsis Alliance. Sepsis and Celebrities. 2024. https://staging.sepsis.org/sepsisand/celebrities/

Updated August 20, 2025.

Likely Sepsis Cases By Illness:

Bacterial Infection

Ronnie Coleman – pro body builder, “blood infection”
Ashley Park, actress – treated for tonsillitis that progressed to sepsis
Donald Norcross, U.S. Congressman – treated for a gallbladder infection that progressed to sepsis

To learn more about bacterial infections and how they can cause sepsis, visit Sepsis and Bacterial Infections.

Cancer

Paul Allen, Co-Founder of Microsoft – died
Ron Piche, former Montreal Expo pitcher – died of “cancer and blood poisoning” in 2011 (baseball)
Ray Price (Country star Ray Price back in hospital with sepsis) – died
Charlie Robinson, actor – died
Lura Lynn Ryan, Illinois former first lady – survived first bout with sepsis, later died of “complications from cancer”
Susie Steiner, author – died
Cory Wells, musician – died
John Wetton, musician – died

To learn more about how people with cancer can be at higher risk of contracting infections and developing sepsis, visit Sepsis and Cancer.

Cellulitis

Jon Huntsman, philanthropist – died
Rusty Staub, baseball player – died

To learn more about what cellulitis is and its connection to sepsis, visit Sepsis and Cellulitis.

COVID-19

Nick Cordero, actor – died
Larry King, TV personality – died
Cloris Leachman, actor – died of stroke, but coroner said COVID-19 was “significant condition”
Pranab Mukherjee, former president of India – died

To learn how COVID-19 can lead to sepsis, visit Sepsis and COVID-19.

Dental Infection

Mike Williams, former NFL player – died

To learn how infections in your mouth can lead to sepsis, visit Sepsis and Dental Health.

Diabetes

Paul Jackson, bassist with Herbie Hancock – died

To learn about how diabetes increases your risk of developing infections that can lead to sepsis, visit Sepsis and Diabetes.

E coli

Hugh Hefner – died
Lily Rose Depp, daughter of Johnny Depp

To learn more about intestinal E. coli and how it can lead to sepsis, visit Sepsis and Intestinal E Coli Infections.

HIV

Fred Hersch, Jazz pianist and composer

Learn more about HIV and how it can increase your risk of developing sepsis at Sepsis and HIV/AIDS.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

Tyler James Williams, actor (Crohn’s disease)

Learn more about how IBD can increase your risk of developing infections that can lead to sepsis at Sepsis and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).

Infected Wound

Casey Kasem, radio personality, voice over actor – died
Christopher Reeve, actor – died of anaphylactic shock
E-Dubble (Evan Sewell Wallace), rapper – died
Mother Theresa, infected pacemaker line, survived but died years later of other causes
Chris Young, singer
Calvin Coolidge Jr., President Calvin Coolidge’s youngest son, infected blister – died

Learn more about bacterial infections at Sepsis and Bacterial Infections.

Influenza

Quintana Roo Dunne, daughter of author Joan Didion – died
Ken Flach, professional tennis player – died
Mary Louise Parker, actor

Learn how the flu can cause sepsis at Sepsis and Influenza.

Intestinal Infection or Perforated Bowel

Socrates, Brazilian soccer player (captain) – died
Patty Duke, actor – died

Learn how a perforated bowel can lead to infection and sepsis at Sepsis and Perforated Bowel.

Maternal Sepsis

Lily Allen, British singer
Kathryn Fiore, UK actress
Rebecca Adlington, UK Olympic swimmer

Learn about how pregnancy, delivery, and post-partum infections can cause sepsis at Sepsis and Pregnancy & Delivery.

Meningitis

Amy Purdy, actress and athlete

Learn how bacterial, viral, and fungal meningitis can cause sepsis at Sepsis and Meningitis.

Necrotizing fasciitis

Lynn Collins, actress – also had pneumonia

Other

Stephen Colbert, TV talk host, “blood poisoning” after burst appendix
Paul Di’Anno, singer
J. Charles Jones, civil rights activist – died
Eli Leon, psychologist, scholar – died
Kyle Lowry, basketball player
Eddie Money, musician (Barrett’s esophagus)
Fernando Valenzuela, former pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers – died
Heather O’Rourke, actress – died
Ignaz Semmelweis, physician who pioneered infection control to reduce postpartum sepsis deaths
Jessye Norman, opera singer – died (following a spinal cord injury)
John McCutcheon, singer (lung infection)
Denis O’Brien, film maker – died
Mel Tillis, singer – died
Robert Trebor, actor – died
Marcus “Kutfather” Tufono, DJ – died
Rudolf Valentino, actor – died

Pancreatitis

Robby Steinhart, musician with the band Kansas – died

Peritonitis

Harry Houdini, magician – died

Pneumonia

Marty Allen, comedian – died (reported as pneumonia)
Christian Brando – died
Chuck Brown, singer – died
Fast Eddie Clarke, musician – died
Lynn Collins, actor, also had necrotizing fasciitis
Jeff Conaway, actor – died
Nicole DeHuff, actor – died
R Lee Ermey, actor – died
Ken Flach, professional tennis player – died
Whoopie Goldberg, TV personality
Corey Haim, actor – died
Angelica Hale, singer
Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets – died
Trish Keenan, singer -died
Bernie Mac, actor – died
George Michael, singer
Steve McMichael, former NFL player
Rudy Moreno, comedian – died
Prince Ranier of Monaco, “chest infection” – died
Leslie Nielson, actor – died
William L. O’Neill, historian and author – died
Kim Porter, actress, model – died
Wayne Rogers, actor – died (reported as “complications of pneumonia”)
Lawrence Welk, musician – died

Learn how pneumonia can lead to sepsis at Sepsis and Pneumonia.

Surgery

Bobby Darin, singer – died
Danielle Campo McLeod, paralympic gold medalist
Jamie-Lynn Sigler – actor

Learn how surgery can cause infections, during and after the procedure, that can lead to sepsis at Sepsis and Surgery.

Toxic Shock Syndrome

Audrey Leishman, wife of pro golfer Marc Leishman
Alex Smith, professional football player

Learn how toxic shock syndrome can lead to sepsis at Sepsis and Toxic Shock Syndrome.

Unknown

Neil Adams, creator of Batman and the X-Men – died
Muhammad Ali, boxer – died
Joshua Bassett – actor
David H.K. Bell, actor– died
DuShon Monique Brown, actress – died
George H.W. Bush, former President of the United States
Dennis Caplinger, musician – died
Christopher Cazanove, actor – died
Steve Curry, actor – died
Brian Dennehy, actor – died
Robert L. Drew, Filmmaker and journalist – died
George Genovese, baseball scout – died
Elizabeth Irving, mother to athlete Kyrie Irving – died
Kenny Jönsson, NHL player
Paul Kantner, singer
Larry King, talk show host
Jonathan Koch, film producer
Steve Mackay, musician (the Stooges) – died
Rita McNeil, Canadian singer, possible: “from complications of surgery after a recurrent infection” – died
Burt Metcalfe, TV producer – died
Steven Rumbelow, writer and director – died
Charles L. Schulze, economist – died
David Sherwin, screenwriter – died
Grace Slick, singer, septic shock
Anne Love Smith, mother of actress Julianne Moore – died
Anna Nicole Smith, model – died
Dan Snyder, National Hockey League player – died
Yolanda Sonnabend, theater designer and painter – died
Dave Thomas, comedian
John Vinocur, foreign correspondent, reporter, and editor – died
Deborah Donnelly Wahlberg, sister of actor Mark Wahlberg – died
Dean Winters, actor (bacterial infection)
lke Wyludda, German Olympian
Jay Youngblood (Steven Nicky Romero), professional wrestler -died

Upper Respiratory Infection

Robbie Coltrane, actor – died

UTI

William (Bill) J. Clinton, former President of the United States, due to E. coli
Etta James, singer – died
Pope John-Paul II – died
Tanya Roberts, actress – died
Brian Wilson, singer (Beach Boys) – died

Learn how the common UTI can lead to sepsis at Sepsis and Urinary Tract Infections.

Related Resources

Dottie Badottie Ortega

I am a 37 yr. old mom of 2, I work part-time, homeschool my youngest, help run a weekly co-op, teach Sunday school classes and help chaperone youth group events, and sometimes I help my husband coach baseball. I have always been healthy and never took colds or other illnesses too seriously. I got sick Feb. 15, 2025. I was diagnosed with the flu on Feb. 18th, I had a high fever and a horrible cough and chills. I didn’t think much of it. I had heard the flu was really bad this year and I figured I had a ... Read Full Story

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Gary Wozniak

My dad struggled with many health issues including an autoimmune disease and heart issues for most of his adult life. He had a UTI that went bad and he was rushed to the hospital. (Sepsis and Autoimmune Diseases, Sepsis and Urinary Tract Infections) He started to show signs of getting better but in the end he lost his fight with sepsis. There’s no one way to describe my dad. He was a pastor, professor and friend to just about everyone. We were able to make sure he was comfortable and not alone. I held his hand as he left this ... Read Full Story

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Jennifer Fitch

I went in for a routine endometrial ablation, expecting about a week of downtime before getting back to my normal life. But three days after the procedure, I started feeling what I thought was the flu. My temperature spiked to 103.6°F, and I couldn’t keep anything down. Concerned, I called my doctor’s office, and they advised me to go to the ER to rule out any infection from the procedure. (Sepsis and Surgery) That Sunday, I arrived at the ER, completely unaware of what the next week had in store for me. I was soon transported to the hospital where ... Read Full Story

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Amy Kennedy

I became ill with a cold and flu-like symptoms. After several visits to my PCP and the ER, I was still ill. Long story short, I ended up in ICU for 3 months due to septic shock. I came very close to passing away three times. It is literally a miracle that I am alive today. I had to learn to do everything all over again. My life has forever changed from my illness. It’s been a tremendous amount of hard work to recover. People cannot possibly understand what a person goes through unless you are right there with them. ... Read Full Story

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Tracy Wilson

My mother was diagnosed with staph infection in her heart due to a lead on her defibrillator. (Sepsis and Invasive Device) In Nov. 2024 she had the device removed the beginning of Dec 2024. From there she developed gram pos cocci in clusters, later down the line candidemia and a few others. My mother passed away Jan 2025. I wrote my first book about the last 3 months of her life living with staphylococcus. It can be found on Amazon.com – The S Effect. I hope to bring awareness or light to the deadly infection because enough has not been ... Read Full Story

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Sepsis and Celebrities

Likely Sepsis Cases By Illness:

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