Last updated on: February 28, 2023
Following his diagnosis of a terminal brain aneurysm, Tom Sizemore’s family has confirmed that they are making an end-of-life decision for the Saving Private Ryan actor.
The 61-year-old is being treated at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Los Angeles, where he has been in a coma in the intensive care unit since February 18.
Sizemore’s attorney, Charles Lago, issued a statement Monday night confirming the worst fears about his client’s prognosis.
Doctors have informed his family that there is no longer any hope of recovery and have advised them to make an end-of-life decision. Lago said a new statement would be issued on Wednesday while the family makes decisions about end-of-life care.
His family “wishes to thank everyone for the hundreds of messages of support and prayers that have been received,” and “we are requesting privacy for them during this difficult time,” he said. “They’ve had a rough time lately.”
Actor Tom Sizemore, known for roles in films such as Saving Private Ryan, Heat, and Black Hawk Down, suffered a stroke on February 18 and was discovered unconscious in his Los Angeles home around 2 a.m.
In Oliver Stone’s Born on the Fourth of July, he made his film debut (1989). Later in his career, he rose to prominence with roles in films such as Point Break (1991), True Romance (1993), and Natural Born Killers (1997). (1994).
The actor’s background includes stints in rehab for substance abuse and interactions with law enforcement.
Sizemore’s 2003 domestic violence conviction against then-girlfriend Heidi Fleiss stemmed from an incident the previous year. He was arrested in Los Angeles in 2009 and 2011 on suspicion of battering an ex-wife.
Sizemore received a lengthy prison sentence after being caught in the act of falsifying a urine sample in 2005. In 2006, he pleaded no contest to possessing and using methamphetamine outside of a motel. He was arrested again in 2007 while on probation for the drug conviction and sentenced to 16 months in prison.
Sizemore was sued in 2018 by a 26-year-old actress who worked with him on the set of Born Killers in 2002, claiming that he abused her when she was 11 years old. Sizemore refuted the claim, and the case was ultimately dismissed.
Sizemore has previously spoken openly about his struggles with addiction, including the time actor Robert De Niro checked him into a rehab facility.