Dennis Farina Battling Lung Cancer Before His Death

The death of actor Dennis Farina came as a huge shock to people in the industry. Farina, 69, was presumably in good health when it was disclosed that he suffered a blood clot, which lead to his death.

Now we’re learning that Farina was battling another bout of lung cancer. TMZ released a 911 call which was made by a woman days before Farina died.

Although the woman’s identity remains a mystery, she disclosed with the emergency dispatch that the Law & Order star needed oxygen because he was having trouble breathing. She also went on to describe Farina as a “cancer patient.” At the time there were no reports out there about his cancer returning.

The Huffington Post received a statement from Dennis Farina’s cardiologist, which confirmed that he was suffering once again from lung cancer at the time of his death.

“He had a small cancer 13 years ago that was treated and cured with surgery. Over the last several months, he unfortunately experienced a recurrence of the cancer which was being treated. Despite treatment, over the weekend a blood clot developed in Mr. Farina’s lung which unexpectedly and suddenly took his life.”

The executive producer of Law & Order, which Farina enjoyed a lengthy career on, had released a statement about Farina’s sudden death. Dick Wolf said he was “stunned and saddened to hear about Dennis’ unexpected passing this morning. The ‘Law & Order’ family extends sympathy and condolences to his family.”

Before he took up acting, Farina, a Chicago native, was part of the Chicago Police Department’s burglary division. In his career as an actor his previous job would go on to aid Farina in plenty of roles, including his role on Law & Order, Get Shorty, and Out of Sight.

His last film project The Last Rites of Joe May released a statement about the actor’s passing on the film’s official Facebook:

“On behalf of everyone involved with THE LAST RITES OF JOE MAY we are heartbroken to have to tell you that the incredible Dennis Farina passed today. He was the heart and soul of this wonderful film and his performance is one for the ages. He was a wonderful man, a tireless and gracious actor, and a fantastic partner on the JOE MAY journey. We will miss him so very very much. RIP Mr. Farina.”

Dennis Farina died on Monday morning in Scottsdale, Arizona.