Asbestos Mesothelioma Led to Death of Iconic Actor

Hollywood, CAAsbestos mesothelioma is a killer the world is coming to terms with thanks to a continuing parade of revelations about mesothelioma cancer: what it is, what causes it and the sometimes decades-long timeframe involved in its emergence following asbestos exposure. However, what many people don't know is that mesothelioma and cancer contributed to the death of Steve McQueen.

The popular actor, who died on November 7, 1980 at the age of 50, was a heavy smoker—and the years have produced an assumption that he died from the effects of cigarette smoking, as had his colleague Yul Brynner. Both men were heavy smokers.

But that's not the way it happened.

As a young man, McQueen was a member of the United States Marine Corps. Two biographies (McQueen: The Untold Story of a Bad Boy in Hollywood by Penina Spiegel, Doubleday and Co., New York, 1986, and McQueen: The Biography by Christopher Sandford, Taylor Trade Publishing, New York, 2003) recount his days working on troop ships removing asbestos lagging from pipes.

Shortly before his death in 1980 McQueen blamed his condition on his exposure to asbestos during his time in the Marines, together with the asbestos allegedly used in movie soundstage insulation and material in fire-retardant driving suits and helmets (McQueen was an avid racing enthusiast).

The late actor's assertion is in keeping with the characteristic of mesothelioma and cancer, given that emergence can occur decades after exposure. In McQueen's case, he was diagnosed with mesothelioma just under a year before he died, in December, 1979. After doctors in the US told McQueen there was nothing they could do for him, the actor sought unconventional treatment in Baja, California in an effort to prolong his life.

The attempt didn't work. Large tumors in his abdomen continued to spread and McQueen arranged to have the tumors surgically removed against the advice of his doctors in the US, who were of the view that his heart could not withstand the surgery.

In the end, the actor flew to Mexico to have the surgery, only to die a day later following a series of two heart attacks.

Fans of the actor will always remember McQueen as an active, physically fit man. In spite of his smoking habit, McQueen observed a rigid exercise regime that involved weightlifting and running two hours a day, seven days a week.

And yet it would be asbestos mesothelioma, fostering mesothelioma cancer, that would lead to his death at the age of 50.