Martin Landau’s Cause Of Death Announced: Veteran Actor Died From Severe Internal Bleeding

Nearly two weeks after his passing at the age of 89, Martin Landau’s cause of death has been revealed — a severe case of internal bleeding which caused his organs to shut down.

A report from TMZ confirmed last night that the legendary Hollywood actor died on July 15 from hypovolemic shock, or the body’s reaction to losing a lot of blood. This was based on a copy of Landau’s death certificate obtained by the publication, which also listed a variety of other conditions related to his organs shutting down due to the internal bleeding.

The death certificate also listed three other conditions that led to Martin Landau’s cause of death — metabolic acidosis, intra-abdominal hemorrhage, and diffuse atherosclerotic vascular disease. The veteran actor also suffered from atrial fibrillation and hypertension, which according to his death certificate, contributed to his passing, but did not result in the underlying cause.

According to Healthline, hypovolemic shock is also called hemorrhagic shock, and is considered a life-threatening condition. It takes place when a person loses at least 20 percent of their blood or fluid supply, thus making it impossible for the heart to send enough blood to other organs. As such, the condition could lead to organ failure, and requires emergency medical care. It is also the most common type of shock, and particularly dangerous to extremely young children or older adults, with the latter category including the 89-year-old Martin Landau, whose cause of death was not immediately available at the time of his passing.

Ellen Burstyn remembers Martin Landau: "He never seemed to be acting" https://t.co/mKXXQ8VaKq pic.twitter.com/2vw0CDZmRU

— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) July 19, 2017

As noted by the Daily Mail, Landau was best-known to older fans as part of the cast of the original Mission: Impossible series in the 1960s. In more recent years, he had also starred in The X-Files, appearing as Agent Fox Mulder’s informant, Alvin Kurtzweil, in the 1990s TV series, as well as Tim Burton’s 1994 film, Ed Wood, where he starred as legendary movie vampire Bela Lugosi.

In a career that spanned about six decades, Landau had appeared in over 200 movies and television shows. IMDB‘s Martin Landau page shows the actor last appearing in the 2017 film The Last Poker Game, where he starred as Dr. Abe Mandelbaum. Another 2017 film starring Landau, Without Ward, is still in the post-production stage.

[Featured Image by Maury Phillips/Getty Images]