Celebrities Affected by Lung Disease

Doctor William C Lloyd Healthgrades Medical Reviewer
Medically Reviewed By William C. Lloyd III, MD, FACS
Written By Healthgrades Editorial Staff on July 4, 2021

These famous faces bring awareness to emphysema and chronic bronchitis, both of which are types of COPD.

  • Leonard Nimoy - Celebrities Affected by Lung Disease
    Leonard Nimoy
    The actor Leonard Nimoy, much beloved for his role as Mr. Spock on “Star Trek,” passed away from end-stage COPD. A long-time smoker, Nimoy kicked the habit 30 years prior to his diagnosis.

  • Amy Winehouse - Celebrities Affected by Lung Disease
    Amy Winehouse
    COPD isn’t an old-age disease. This internationally known singer was just 24 years old when she reportedly developed early stages of emphysema, or COPD. Although COPD most often affects men and women who are middle-aged and older, Winehouse is an example that young people are at risk, too. Winehouse later died at the age of 28 from alcohol poisoning.
  • Christy Turlington
    Christy Turlington
    There’s no typical face of COPD. Although supermodel Turlington has radiant good looks, at age 31, she was diagnosed with early-stage emphysema—a result of her former smoking habit. Turlington proves that you can’t always see the effects of lung disease.
  • Dean Martin - Celebrities Affected by Lung Disease
    Dean Martin
    This iconic entertainer and member of the “Rat Pack” lived a glamorous young life full of cocktails and cigarettes. But it was one he paid for dearly in his older years. Martin’s heavy smoking habit eventually led to the development of emphysema, and he died of severe respiratory complications at the age of 78.
  • Loni Anderson - Celebrities Affected by Lung Disease
    Loni Anderson
    The WKRP in Cincinnati actress grew up in a home where smoking was the norm. She woke each morning to the hacking coughs of her parents, both of whom suffered from chronic bronchitis. Instead of following in their footsteps, Anderson went on to raise public awareness about COPD.
Celebrities Affected by Lung Disease
  1. About William Buckley, Jr., National Review Online. http://author.nationalreview.com/bio/?q=MjE0Ng==
  2. Amy Winehouse Diagnosed with Emphysema. Times Online.  http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article4197311.ece
  3. Loni Anderson. Ability Magazine. http://www.abilitymagazine.com/Loni_Anderson.html
  4. Millions of Americans Don’t Know They Have COPD. Drive4COPD. http://www.drive4copd.com/danica-patricks-story.aspx
  5. What is COPD? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/lung/copd/what-is-copd/index.htm
  6. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. National Library of Medicine. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000091.htm
  7. Smoking – Tips on How to Quit. National Library of Medicine. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001992.htm
  8. My Smoking Confessional. New York Sun Online. http://www.nysun.com/opinion/my-smoking-confessional/67349
  9. William F. Buckley Jr. Is Dead at 82. New York Times Online. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/27/business/media/27cnd-buckley.html
  10. Supermodel Christy Turlington has Emphysema. PR Newswire Europe Ltd. http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=60193
  11. Dean Martin Bibliography, Ratpack.biz. http://www.ratpack.biz/dean-martin/biography.htm
  12. Celebs with COPD Simple Health Guide. http://www.simplehealthguide.com/celebs-with-copd/
  13. The Gilded Leaf [online press kit]. Tobaccofree.org. http://www.tobaccofree.org/book
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Last Review Date: 2021 Jul 4
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