Actor Tiny Lister’s autopsy results revealed that he died of heart disease, reported TMZ.
Although Lister was best known for his role as Deebo in the urban hit Friday and its sequels, his acting career spanned nearly 40 years. He spent time as a professional wrestler alongside the likes of Hulk Hogan and portrayed the character Zeus in the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) movie No Holds Barred in 1989.
Upon the announcement of his death, many speculated that the actor had succumbed to COVID-19. At the time, his manager Cindy Cowan said Lister had been feeling sick the week before his death. His symptoms “got really bad, really quick,” she said.
Lister had also canceled the first day on set for a new movie he was slated to star in and a Zoom appearance for a television festival due to experiencing weakness and shortness of breath. At some point, friends and family repeatedly tried to contact him to no avail. The next day, a friend stopped by the house, and when Lister did not answer the door, the police were called. They found him dead in his home.
The Los Angeles County medical examiner revealed that a COVID-19 swab performed on Lister’s body returned a positive result for the disease. However, that is not what ultimately led to the actor’s demise. According to Page Six, he had a plethora of illnesses, including type II diabetes, hypertension, an enlarged heart, circulatory issues, and coronary artery disease. The final ruling is that he died of hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
Lister had fought through coronavirus about four months before his death, but his manager believed it returned.
The beloved actor died at 62 in his birth state of California. He is survived by his wife, Felicia Forbes, and one daughter named Faith.
