Pneumonia Ruled Official Cause Of Death For Charlton Heston

LOS ANGELES (AP) – It was pneumonia, not Alzheimer’s disease, that caused Charlton Heston’s death last month.

The actor’s death certificate, posted Friday on CelebTV.com, cites pneumonia as the official cause of the 84-year-old’s death.

Heston revealed in 2002 that he had symptoms consistent with Alzheimer’s disease, saying, that he “must reconcile courage and surrender in equal measure.”

Heston won the 1959 best actor Oscar as the chariot-racing “Ben-Hur” and portrayed Moses, Michelangelo, El Cid and other heroic figures in movie epics of the ’50s and ’60s. He was also a staunch gun-rights advocate who headed the National Rifle Association.

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