I am so grateful that my doctor found it in time.' Rise to fame: Between the years of 19 he racked up 190 episodes on ER, many of them acting opposite the show's breakout star George ClooneyĪ few days before the surgery he told Radar Online that he had experienced 'over 10 episodes of heart failure in the last eight months alone.'ĭeezer D stated: 'The problem with my aorta is the same thing that killed John Ritter. His death comes less than 12 years after he spent six hours in surgery to address a leaking heart valve and enlarged aorta.
However, an official cause of death hasn’t been released.ĮR alums Noah Wyle, Julianna Margulies, Mekhi Phifer, Parminder Nagra, and Lyn Alicia Henderson wrote their condolences on social media, with Wyle writing on Instagram how Thompson was a “dear friend” to him.
The family disclosed that Thompson did have open heart surgery in 2009, which leads them to believe that his cause of death relates to his heart health. The outlet reports via TMZ that Thompson, who played nurse Malik McGrath throughout the series’ 15 seasons, is believed to have died from a heart attack at his home, according to his family. ER star Dearon “Deezer D” Thompson died Thursday at 55 years of age, according to TVLine.