When Harry Anderson passed away in the early hours of April 16, 2018, it felt like the world lost a bit of its magic. Literally. The guy was a world-class magician before he ever donned the judicial robes of Judge Harry T. Stone on Night Court. He was only 65. For a man who seemed so full of youthful, mischievous energy, the news was a gut punch to fans who grew up watching him con the gang at Cheers or manage the chaos of a Manhattan courtroom.
The initial reports were pretty vague. Police in Asheville, North Carolina, were called to his home around 6:40 AM. They said there was no foul play. But fans wanted to know more. How does someone so lively just... stop?
The Official Medical Verdict
A few days later, the technical details came out via his death certificate. It wasn't just one thing. It was a perfect storm of health issues that collided in the worst way possible.
The primary Harry Anderson cause of death was officially ruled as a cardioembolic cerebrovascular accident. That is a very fancy, medical way of saying he suffered a stroke caused by the heart. Specifically, this happens when the heart pumps "unwanted materials"—usually a blood clot—directly into the brain’s circulation, blocking off blood flow.
📖 Related: Erik Menendez Height: What Most People Get Wrong
It’s quick. It’s devastating. And in Harry’s case, it happened while he was sleeping.
The Flu and the Heart Connection
What most people don’t realize is that this wasn't a random, out-of-the-blue event. The death certificate listed two major contributing factors: influenza and heart disease.
Honestly, it’s scary how much the flu can mess with your cardiovascular system. Anderson had been battling a particularly nasty bout of the flu back in January 2018, just a few months before he died. His wife, Elizabeth Morgan, later told 911 dispatchers that he had actually suffered a series of "mild strokes" earlier that year following the flu.
👉 See also: Old pics of Lady Gaga: Why we’re still obsessed with Stefani Germanotta
Medical experts often point out that severe infections like the flu cause massive inflammation in the body. This inflammation can irritate the lining of the heart or dislodge existing clots. If you already have underlying heart disease—which the autopsy confirmed Anderson did—the flu acts like a trigger.
A Quiet End in Asheville
The 911 call made by Elizabeth is heartbreaking to listen to. She woke up and realized something was wrong immediately. She told the operator that Harry was cold to the touch and his fingers were turning a purplish color.
"I woke up this morning and, um, my, uh, I think my husband has passed away in the night," she said during the call. "I mean, I'm in disbelief."
✨ Don't miss: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie: What Really Happened Behind the Scenes in 2026
She mentioned that they had gone to bed around 9:00 PM the night before and everything seemed fine. He had been "stiff" when she found him, suggesting he had passed several hours before she woke up. It’s a small mercy, perhaps, that he went peacefully in his sleep, but it left a massive hole in the comedy world.
Why This Matters for Us Now
Looking back at the Harry Anderson cause of death, there are a few real-world takeaways that aren't just celebrity gossip.
- Don't ignore the flu. Especially as you get older. We tend to think of it as just a few days of misery, but for someone with heart vulnerabilities, it’s a massive physical stressor.
- Stroke symptoms aren't always "big." Anderson had "mild" strokes earlier that year. Sometimes these are called TIAs (Transient Ischemic Attacks). They are warning shots.
- The heart-brain connection is real. A cardioembolic stroke is literally the heart failing the brain. Regular cardiovascular checkups are the only way to spot the kind of heart disease that leads to these clots.
Harry Anderson spent his life making us look at one hand while the other did the trick. He was a master of misdirection. But in the end, his health wasn't a magic trick he could escape. He lived a life of "mumbo jumbo" and joy, moving from the street corners of San Francisco to the heights of NBC's Thursday night lineup, and finally to a quiet life in North Carolina where he owned a magic shop and a jazz club.
If you want to stay on top of your own health after reading this, the best move is to get a baseline EKG or heart screening, especially if you’ve recently had a severe viral illness. Those "contributing factors" on a death certificate are usually things that could have been managed with enough lead time.
Keep an eye on your blood pressure and don't shrug off "minor" neurological glitches like sudden numbness or slurred speech, even if they go away quickly. Those are the signs Harry's body was giving him in the months leading up to April.