Tom Sizemore, Saving Private Ryan and Black Hawk Down actor, dies at 61 after brain aneurysm

Tom Sizemore, an actor best known for his roles in Heat, Saving Private Ryan, and Black Hawk Down, died Friday following a brain aneurysm. He was 61.

Sizemore was hospitalized early Feb. 18 after he collapsed at his Los Angeles home. He suffered from an aneurysm that occurred as a result of a stroke and remained in a coma, his manager Charles Lago told EW via statement.

"It is with great sadness and sorrow I have to announce that actor Thomas Edward Sizemore ("Tom Sizemore") aged 61 passed away peacefully in his sleep at today at St Joseph's Hospital Burbank" reads Lago's statement. "His brother Paul and twin boys Jayden and Jagger (17) were at his side."

The statement continued, "The Sizemore family has been comforted by the hundreds of messages of support and love shown to their son, brother and father. They are asking for privacy during this difficult time." His brother, Paul Sizemore, added via statement, "I am deeply saddened by the loss of my big brother Tom. He was larger than life. He has influenced my life more than anyone I know. He was talented, loving, giving and could keep you entertained endlessly with his wit and storytelling ability. I am devasted he is gone and will miss him always"

Throughout his career, the tough-guy actor worked with several of Hollywood's most celebrated filmmakers, including Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Kathryn Bigelow, David Lynch, Oliver Stone, and Michael Mann. Sizemore's credits, which span over 200 movies and TV shows, include Blue Steel, True Romance, Where Sleeping Dogs Lie, Natural Born Killers, Born on the Fourth of July, Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man, and Passenger 57.

Jason Merritt/FilmMagic Tom Sizemore

Sizemore is perhaps best known for his performance as Sgt. Mike Horvath in Spielberg's 1998 World War II film Saving Private Ryan. Toward the end of the movie, he delivered one of the most classic lines of the Tom Hanks-led drama: "Some day we might look back on this and decide that saving Private Ryan was the one decent thing we were able to pull out of this godawful shitty mess."

He also appeared in films Bringing Out the Dead, The Relic, Strange Days, and Dreamcatcher, as well as TV shows like It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Lucifer, Cobra Kai, and Barbee Rehab.

The embattled actor struggled with drug abuse and faced a number of legal troubles, having been convicted in 2003 on domestic violence charges stemming from an incident with his former fiancee Heidi Fleiss. In 2017, Sizemore was accused of groping an 11-year-old girl on a movie set in 2003 in a civil lawsuit, allegations that he denied. A judge dismissed the suit in 2020.

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