Tom Sizemore death updates Saving Private Ryan star's ex Heidi Fleiss breaks silence on heartbre
HEIDI Fleiss, Tom Sizemore's ex-girlfriend, has revealed how he battled his addiction issues until the end of his life.
The troubled Saving Private Ryan actor, 61, passed away in his sleep at the hospital on Friday night, according to his manager. The actor was hospitalized on February 18 following a brain aneurysm.
His manager, Charles Lago confirmed his death, saying he “passed away peacefully in his sleep."
Heidi Fleiss, who Sizemore was convicted of domestically abusing per PEOPLE, said exclusively to the U.S. Sun that they had been planning a project together in Las Vegas and that he'd asked to get back together.
Heidi - who is also a recovering addict - said: “He would do that every couple of years, he would reach out and say he wanted to get back together with me.
“And look, if he would have pulled his s**t together I would have got back together with him. I told him that I was only 21 days clean and I was still going through all that stuff."
She added: “He texted me to say ‘Ever since I’ve been talking to you everything’s turning around.’ I’m just sorry that it ended this way.”
Sizemore is known for his roles in Saving Private Ryan, Heat, Pearl Harbor, and Quentin Tarantino's Natural Born Killers.
Read our Tom Sizemore live blog for the latest news and updates...
What to know about Maeve Quinlan
Quinlan was born in Chicago, Illinois, on November 16, 1964.
She was raised in Northfield and graduated from New Trier High.
Afterward, she studied at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, as well as at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
On the popular soap opera, The Bold and the Beautiful., the 58-year-old actress portrayed the title character Megan Conley for 11 years.
Quinlan was also featured in the drama series, South of Nowhere.
Quinlan was married to Sizemore from 1996 to 1999.
Who Tom is survived by
His mother, twin kids Jagger and Jayden, brother Paul, half-sister Katherine Sizemore, and half-brother Charles Sizemore are all left behind.
Last year, his brother Aaron passed away.
His marriage with Maeve Quinlan came to an end in divorce.
Majored in theater
Sizemore got a bachelor's in theater from Wayne State University in Detroit in 1983 and a master's in the same field from Temple University in 1986.
Three years later, he made his screen and television debuts in Sylvester Stallone's "Lock Up" and the television series "Gideon Oliver," respectively.
Rehab with Dr. Drew
Throughout the seasons of 2010 and 2011, Sizemore appeared in 10 episodes of the reality series Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew.
He was joined by Heidi Fleiss, the former basketball player Dennis Rodman, the actress Mackenzie Phillips, and others.
What happened to Sizemore, recapped
On February 18, 2023, Sizemore was sent to the emergency room after having a brain aneurysm at home.
He was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) in critical condition.
Tom Sizemore passed away in Burbank, California, on March 3, 2023.
When they decided to turn off his life support, they did so while he was in the hospital with his family.
Sizemore’s brother statement
At the time of his death, Tom Sizemore was surrounded by his brother, Paul, and his 17-year-old twin sons, Jayden and Jagger.
His brother released a statement, in which he called Tom “larger than life.”
He added: “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 devastated he is gone and will miss him always.”
Tom Sizemore’s relationship with Heidi Fleiss, continued
Three years after they began dating, Tom Sizemore was convicted of multiple convictions regarding abuse against his girlfriend at the time, Heidi Fleiss.
At first, Tom denied the charges, but he later owned up to his actions in a letter he sent to the judge.
“In recent months, I have permitted my personal demons to take over my life,” he wrote in his letter, via PEOPLE.
“I do not want to make excuses but I am convinced that if I had not been under the influence of drugs, I would have controlled my behavior.”
Since his conviction, Heidi has kept a low profile but has opened up about their previous relationship in multiple interviews, calling him “disgusting.”
Tom Sizemore’s relationship with Heidi Fleiss
After Heidi was released from prison, she started dating movie star, Tom Sizemore.
The pair were together from 2000 to 2001, during which time, he beat her.
In August 2003, he was convicted of domestic violence, making criminal threats, and harassing Heidi, according to PEOPLE. He was then sentenced to serve six months in jail.
Heidi nowadays, continued
Heidi had previously stated that the parrots' symbolic significance was connected to her time spent in prison.
"I think every day in prison was important because it made me realize how awful it would be if someone forced you to live your entire life inside a box," she said at the time.
"And that’s what happened to these captive macaws. It’s not a popular subject matter. They need someone who’s a little bit kooky like me to stand up for them."
After more than 15 years of residence in Nevada, Heidi disclosed in January 2022 that she intended to leave after one of her parrots was accidentally shot with a pellet pistol, according to The Guardian.
She apparently purchased a home in Missouri and relocated there.
Heidi nowadays
After completing her sentence, Heidi moved to southern Nevada and inherited a flock of parrots.
She spoke candidly to The Hollywood Reporter in 2018 about her choice to keep the pet parrots, claiming that she acquired them from a retired madam.
"I moved to Nevada to get it back into the sex business. I rented a house that unluckily for me happened to be next door to a retired madam who was bedridden," she explained.
"At one time she ran the exotic bird department for the Tropicana Hotel. So she had all these birds. One night she called me up at three in the morning saying she couldn’t breathe. I went there as a helicopter was taking her away. As she’s dying, she says, 'Heidi, you take care of the birds.'"
Sizemore’s ex-girlfriend Heidi Fleiss, continued
Heidi was finally found guilty on three charges by a jury, but the judgment was later reversed.
She was found guilty on eight counts of conspiracy, tax evasion, and money laundering by a federal jury, but was nonetheless imprisoned the same year, according to The New York Times.
Later, she was imprisoned for 20 months in Dublin, California.
Get to know Sizemore's ex-girlfriend Heidi Fleiss
Paul Fleiss, a well-known pediatrician, and his wife Elisa welcomed Heidi Fleiss into the world on December 30, 1965.
She has had a number of occupations over the years, but she is likely best known for operating a posh prostitution ring in Los Angeles, California, in the 1990s, earning the moniker "Hollywood Madam."
She frequently hired elite performers and had a clientele to match, which allowed her to earn $300k a week, or $560k today, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
She ruled the world for many years before her empire fell apart on June 9, 1993, when she was detained and accused of five charges of pandering, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
'Three hundred twenty-six days'
Sizemore had significant drug issues in the 1990s that he had to deal with.
He used heroin, crystal methamphetamine, and cocaine, and was in and out of treatment over the years, the New York Times reported.
“How long sober now?” Larry King asked on CNN in 2010.
“Three hundred twenty-six days,” Sizemore said.
“What was the longest you were ever sober before that?” King asked.
“A couple minutes,” Sizemore said. “No, that’s not true. I got sober in ’97 and was sober through 2002.”
A-List directors Sizemore worked with
Sizemore collaborated with several renowned directors in addition to Spielberg.
He played an obsessed investigator chasing a teenage couple on a murderous rampage in Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers.
He was a part of the thieving crew in Michael Mann's 1995 film Heat, which was led by Robert De Niro.
He also played the commander of the 75th Ranger Regiment in Ridley Scott's 2002 film Black Hawk Down, which was based on a failed American military operation in 1993 in Mogadishu, Somalia, to capture the lieutenants of a vicious warlord.
Mots known roles
Sizemore could play parts as soldiers, criminals, cops, murderers, and, in a television movie, the baseball player Pete Rose.
He could also play aggressive, charismatic, and manic characters.
In Steven Spielberg's 1998 film Saving Private Ryan, he played Sgt. Mike Horvath, the committed second in command to Captain Miller (played by Tom Hanks) in a small squad of Army Rangers tasked with finding a soldier whose three brothers had previously perished in war.
Tom Sizemore’s television credits
In addition to film, Tom Sizemore has a slew of television credits including,
- Shooter
- The Red Road
- Hawaii Five-0
- Lucifer
- Justice League
- Dr Vegas
Tom’s film career
Tom Sizemore has appeared in a number of blockbuster films including,
- Saving Private Ryan
- Heat
- Black Hawk Down
- Company of Heroes
- Natural Born Killers
- The Relic
- Passenger
- Lock Up
- Red
- Pearl Harbor
- True Romance
- Red Planet
Who is Tom Sizemore's brother Paul?
Paul Sizemore is an American actor and producer, born on July 14, 1976, in Detroit.
Just like his brother, he attemded the Wayne State University where he studied film.
Other than the film industry, he's involved in social justice and advocacy organisations such as the Homeboy Industries program which helps gang members from Los Angeles.
In various interviews, he spoke about the close relationship he shared with his brother, the admiration he had for Tom's talent and alwasy showed his support when he was struggling with addiction and legal issues.
More on Tom Sizemore
Thomas "Tom" Edward Sizemore Jr was an actor and producer born on November 29, 1961, in Detroit, Michigan.
Throughout the course of his career, he starred in over 200 productions but was arguably best known for his roles in Strange Days (1995), The Relic (1997), Saving Private Ryan (1998), and Black Hawk Down (2001).
In Saving Private Ryan, he portrayed the role of Sgt. Mike Horvath alongside Tom Hanks (Captain Miller) and Matt Damon (Private Ryan).
Towards the end of the World War II classic, he was seen saying the iconic titular line: “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 s***ty mess.”
Sizemore also had recurring roles in Twin Peaks, Shooter, Cobra Kai, and Robbery Homicide Division, among others.
Director honors Sizemore
Indonesian film director Timo Tjahjanto shared a picture of Tom Sizemore to Twitter with a thoughtful message about the actor.
"Just heard of Tom Sizemore’s passing, RIP," the director wrote.
"Despite all the problems surrounding his later years , He’s always been ‘the guy’ who adds solid mixture of Goof, masculinity, gruffness, sleaze and intense brutalism to his characters Lets just say it, he always nails his role."
In a follow-up tweet, he described the actor as "the ultimate buddy role guy but wholy competent as co-lead in much beloved 90s creatfeat RELIC ."
Tom Sizemore’s involvement with video games
Tom Sizemore not only acted on the big screen and television screen but also lent his voice acting talents to the popular video game series Grand Theft Auto.
Sizemore voice acted for Grand Theft Auto: Vice City in the series playing the character Sonny Forelli.
He also lent his skills to 24: The Game playing the character Sid Wilson.
Robert De Niro's impact on Sizemore
Robert De Niro and Tom Sizemore had a close off-screen relationship.
In a 2013 interview, Sizemore revealed it was De Niro who personally checked him into rehab.
Sizemore battled drug addiction for a portion of his adult life, resulting in rehab stays and drug-related charges.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
What did Tom's manager Charles Lago say?
Charles Lago - who was very much inspired by his client - was Tom Sizemore's manager for almost 15 years.
He said: "I am very saddened by the loss of not only a client but a great friend and mentor of almost 15 years.
"Tom was one of the most sincere, kind and generous human beings I have had the pleasure of knowing. His courage and determination through adversity was always an inspiration to me.
"The past couple of years were great for him and he was getting his life back to a great place. He loved his sons and his family."
What did his ex-wife Maeve Quinlan say?
Actress Maeve Quinlan joined in the tributes to Tom Sizemore.
She married the actor in 1996 and then divorced in 1999.
Releasing her tribute to Tom on Friday, she said: "Most especially, my thoughts and prayers go out to Tom’s two sons, Jayden and Jagger. May God hold you both in the palm of his hand, give you strength and bless you all the days of your lives."
Tom's suffering with addiction
Behind the flashy lights of Hollywood, Tom Sizemore suffered with addiction of alcohol and drugs which he admitted to have hurt some of his friend and family.
In 2013, he told The Associated Press: "I am very, very sorry to those people I did mislead, which is a euphemism for ‘lied to.’
"Robert De Niro and Michael Mann particularly, (for) taking a very big interest in me as a man and as a performer and as a person with a disease and I went to rehab several times.
"I’m very, very sorry for the people that I hurt, especially my father."
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
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