Alexis Arquette died from cardiac arrest, her death certificate reveals. According to the document obtained by TMZ, the transgender star had also been battling HIV for the past 29 years.
The 47-year-old died on September 11 at Los Angeles Cedars-Sinai Hospital. According to the document from L.A.’s Department of Public Health released on Tuesday, September 20, she died from cardiac arrest, but also suffered from bacterial endocarditis, cardiomyopathy and HIV.
Arquette, whose transition from male to female was documented in the 2007 film Alexis Arquette: She’s My Brother, is listed under her full name — Robert Alexis Arquette — and identified as a male in the document.
Alexis’ brother Richmond Arquette confirmed her death on September 11 via a Facebook post.
“Our brother Robert, who became our brother Alexis, who became our sister Alexis, who became our brother Alexis, passed this morning September 11, at 12:32 am,” he wrote. “He was surrounded by all of his brothers and sisters, one of his nieces and several other loved ones. We were playing music for him and he passed during David Bowie’s Starman. As per his wishes, we cheered at the moment that he transitioned to another dimension.”
The LGBT activist — who is the sibling of actors David, Patricia, Rosanna and Richmond Arquette — was surrounded by her family at the time of her death.
“Alexis was a brilliant artist and painter, a singer, an entertainer and an actor. She starred in movies like Last Exit to Brooklyn, Pulp Fiction, Jumpin’ at the Boneyard, Of Mice and Men, The Wedding Singer, and The Bride of Chucky,” a statement released by her siblings on September 11 read on Facebook. “Her career was cut short, not by her passing, but by her decision to live her truth and her life as a transgender woman. Despite the fact that there are few parts for trans actors, she refused to play roles that were demeaning or stereotypical. She was a vanguard in the fight for understanding and acceptance for all trans people.”
