C.W. Morgan’s official cause of death has been confirmed following his passing last month.
The actor, 72, died from atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner. His manner of death was ruled natural, and he was found in a bathroom.
Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease describes a group of conditions caused by the buildup of fatty plaque, which can lead to heart attack or stroke. The veteran performer passed away on Aug. 30.
Morgan’s daughter, Renata Macfie, announced his death publicly the following day in an emotional Facebook tribute. “I’m never going to have the right words for this post. Loosing [sic] you has left the biggest hole in my heart,” she wrote alongside a childhood photograph of the two of them.
She continued, “I miss you endlessly already. I will carry on our Mulholland drives and our Starbucks outings. I’m grateful and lucky to have had you as my daddy. My Guck. Rest easy bubby.”
Macfie added one final thought to her father: “Life will never be the same without you and your poorly timed jokes that I inherited from you. Love you endlessly (no more fighting about that anymore I win).”
Morgan never married and is survived by Macfie as his only child. On his Instagram page, he had shared glimpses of his everyday life in recent years. His final post there came on June 11, when he shared a photograph of a pink flower.
The performer was best known to audiences for his role as Hank Loomis, father of the original Ghostface killer Billy Loomis, in Wes Craven’s 1996 horror hit “Scream” and its 2000 sequel “Scream 3.” In those films, Hank Loomis stubbornly defended his son’s innocence regarding the Woodsboro murders even as evidence mounted against the teenager and his accomplice Stu Macher.
Morgan’s screen career spanned several decades beyond the franchise, with credits in television and film throughout the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. His role in the “Scream” series remained his most widely recognized performance, connecting him to one of the most influential horror properties of its era.
The original 1996 “Scream” revitalized the slasher genre with its self-aware tone and meta-commentary on horror conventions, becoming a cultural phenomenon that spawned multiple sequels, a television series, and a 2022 legacy revival. Skeet Ulrich played Billy Loomis, the son whose crimes Hank Loomis refused to acknowledge, while Neve Campbell starred as survivor Sidney Prescott.
No memorial service details have been announced publicly.