His death certificate, obtained by the Blast, shows that he had suffered from cardiomyopathy for years and then died suddenly of a congestive heart failure on Dec. 8. No other causes are listed.
O’Neal, who was 82, had faced other serious health concerns over the years. In 2001 he was diagnosed with leukemia, and he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2012.
He reflected on his illnesses in a 2021 interview with People magazine, saying, “I’m proud of them, I’ve survived them. I thought I was gone. And suddenly I come back. Not the same man I was, but I’m back.”
O’Neal died at Saint John’s Health Center in Los Angeles and he is buried at Pierce Bros. Westwood Village Memorial Park & Mortuary, according to the death certificate.