Jamie Lee Curtis statement: Tony Curtis ‘leaves behind children and their families who loved him and respected him’
Tony Curtis, born Bernard Schwartz in Manhattan on June 3, 1925, died at age 85 on Sept. 29, 2010, in Henderson, Nev.
An obituary in the New York Times, citing the Clark County coroner, said the cause of death was cardiac arrest. The obituary said “he had struggled with drug and alcohol abuse” and in the 1980s had a stay at the Betty Ford Center. The Variety obituary says Curtis “suffered from periodic depression-induced alcohol and drug problems.” It also says Curtis had pneumonia in 2006 and was in a coma. Curtis’ widow, Jill Vandenberg, said in interviews after his death that his smoking habit from three decades earlier contributed to lifelong health problems.
According to Variety, Curtis’ daughter Jamie Lee Curtis released a statement to the Associated Press: “My father leaves behind a legacy of great performances in movies and in his paintings and assemblages. He leaves behind children and their families who loved him and respected him and a wife and in-laws who were devoted to him. He also leaves behind fans all over the world.”
Jamie Lee Curtis said at Tony Curtis’ funeral, “All of us got something from him. I, of course, got his desperate need for attention.” Among funeral attendees were Kirk Douglas and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Jill Vandenberg also spoke.
Jamie Lee Curtis’ older sister, Kelly Curtis, died Saturday, May 30, 2026 at her home in Bellevue, Idaho. Jamie Lee Curtis said in a statement that her sister died “in her home. In nature. At peace ... She was my first friend and lifelong confidant. She was jaw droppingly beautiful, and a talented actress. She played a mean game of hearts, collected turtles, loved her family, nature, music, thrifting, travel, Facebook, and Pokémon Go. She was proud of her Danish roots and Hungarian Jewish ancestry and was a devoted American patriot.”
Citing a coroner’s report, Us Weekly reported that Kelly Curtis died of natural causes and had been in hospice care for a week.
Tony Curtis received one Oscar nomination, for Best Actor for 1958’s “The Defiant Ones.” He lost to David Niven (“Separate Tables”). Another nominee was Sidney Poitier, Curtis’ co-star, for “The Defiant Ones,” as well as Paul Newman (“Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”) and Spencer Tracy (“The Old Man and the Sea”).
Jamie Lee Curtis won an Oscar in her lone nomination, as Best Supporting Actress for 2022’s “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”
According to the Internet Movie Database, Turner Classic Movies presented a 24-hour tribute to Tony Curtis on Sunday, Oct. 10, 2010, shortly after his death. The movies were: “Beachhead” (1954), “Kings Go Forth” (1958), “The Vikings” (1958), “Operation Petticoat” (1959), “Who Was That Lady?” (1960), “Sex and the Single Girl” (1964), “You Can’t Win ’Em All” (1970), “Sweet Smell of Success” (1957), “The Defiant Ones” (1958), “Trapeze” (1956), “The Great Race” (1965) and “Don’t Make Waves” (1967).
(October 2026)
