Emphysema is an incurable lung disease, usually brought about by the long term effects of smoking. It robs the people that have it of the ability to breathe easily, as it damages the air sacs in the lungs. Over the years, many famous people have succumbed to the effects of emphysema, such as Dean Martin and Johnny Carson, but there are other celebrities that have died from emphysema whose names you would readily recognize. One was one of the greatest actors of all time, another made a career of frightening people, one captured America on his canvases, and one had a voice as familiar as your own father’s if you followed sports. Still another was perhaps the most gorgeous actresses Hollywood ever put on film, while another celebrity that died from emphysema was an actor whose television sit-com character dealt with living with a witch!
Walter Brennan was perhaps the greatest character actor in American film and television history, playing in over 230 movie and TV roles. A three-time Oscar winner, Brennan was exposed to mustard gas in World War I, causing his voice to become raspy and giving him a prematurely old look. He used these qualities to his advantage though, winning Academy Awards in 1936,’38, and ’40. He played in motion pictures such as “Sergeant York” with Gary Cooper, and later went on to a fine career in television on shows like “The Real McCoys” and “The Guns of Will Sonnet.” Brennan was 80 when he died in 1974 from emphysema, his wife survived to make it to the century mark before her death.
Boris Karloff was another early Hollywood icon with a distinctive look and voice. Ironically, the man who would become world famous for playing roles such as Frankenstein’s monster and the mummy was a kind and generous fellow; Karloff gave freely to children’s charities. Karloff made the transition to television smoothly, appearing in many series such as “The Man from U N C L E”, “Thriller”, and “The Veil.” Every December, it is his voice that tells the story of “How The Grinch Stole Christmas.” Karloff developed a fatal case of pneumonia as a direct result of his emphysema and died on Ground Hog’s Day in 1969 at the age of 81.
Norman Rockwell became acclaimed as an artist for his “Saturday Evening Post” covers, which depicted slices of American life. Rockwell had a patriotic fervor, trying to enlist in the Navy for World War I by stuffing himself with food the night before he was to enlist so that he would make the required weight for his height. Rockwell would produce over 4,000 original paintings, including his famous “Four Freedoms” series that were published in the “Post”, based on a speech that President Roosevelt had made. Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 for his contributions to society in the states, Rockwell passed away at the age of 84 the next year in Massachusetts from emphysema.
Chris Schenkel had a baritone voice that became as well known as any in television sports broadcasting history. Schenkel came to prominence at CBS and NBC, but is best remembered for his long stint with ABC Sports; beginning in 1965 he worked for the network covering college football, baseball, NBA basketball, tennis, golf, boxing, auto racing, the Summer and Winter Olympics, and of course, bowling. Chris had a no-nonsense approach to his work, and was much less enamored with himself, unlike colleague Howard Cosell, whose career also overlapped into Schenkel’s. Chris was the National Sportscaster of the Year four times and also was given a lifetime achievement Emmy in 1992. Emphysema finally claimed Schenkel in September of 2005 at 82.
Gene Tierney was thought of as one of the most beautiful women in the world, and she was a fabulous actress as well. Tierney played in many great films during the 1940s, classics like “Laura” and “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir.” She became depressed when her daughter was born retarded and blind, due to her contracting German measles while she was pregnant, beginning a long battle with the condition. Tierney had love affairs with men like future president John F. Kennedy and fashion designer Oleg Cassini. Tierney lost her battle with emphysema in November of 1991, weeks before her 71st birthday.
Dick York was an established star of radio, Broadway, and films when he took the role of Darrin Stephens in “Bewitched” opposite the lovely Elizabeth Montgomery. Playing the mortal husband of this gorgeous witch, Stephens became a beloved character on the ABC sit-com, with a look that, because of the size of his ears and his facial expressions, endeared him to millions. However, a bad back injury forced him to leave the show after its fifth season, and he was replaced by Dick Sergeant for the series’ remaining years. York returned to acting when his back recovered, appearing on many prime time television shows as a guest star. His smoking caused him to develop emphysema, which eventually killed him at the age of 63 in 1992.
