Just as Tommy “Tiny” Lister‘s loved ones suspected, he did have COVID-19 at the time of his death … but the L.A. County Medical Examiner says that’s not what caused his death.
According to his autopsy, the “Friday” star died of hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease … commonly called heart disease.
In the docs, obtained by TMZ, the ME also says a nasal swab came back positive for COVID-19 … and notes Tommy had fluid in his chest when he died. Additionally, he had an enlarged heart with high blood pressure, poor circulation in his legs and coronary artery disease.
TMZ broke the story … the 62-year-old actor died suddenly last year at his L.A.-area home. Paramedics responded, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
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Tommy’s manager, Cindy Cowan, said he’d been experiencing COVID symptoms in the days leading up to his death, and was clearly having difficulty breathing during an online chat he had just days before he passed.