Mad Max: Fury Road actor Richard Norton’s cause of death has been revealed one year after he died.
A local Australian coroner recently published an inquest into Norton’s death, finding that the actor died of an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and anaphylaxis. Asthma and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy were listed as contributing factors.
Norton died in March 2025. He was 75.
“I am numb and devastated, I have no words. I have lost my everything,” Richard’s wife, Judy Norton, wrote via Instagram at the time, announcing Richard’s death. “I know there is, and will be lots of love and shock that we have lost this incredible human being. The love ❤️of my life. I’m using this time to come to terms with my great loss.”
According to the coroner’s new findings, the Black Creek performer suffered a severe allergic reaction from an injection of unapproved peptides, a short chain of amino acids that send signals to cells in the body.
“Peptide therapy was prescribed as an adjunctive, non-surgical option after consideration of
prior treatments and patient preference, absence of identified contraindications on assessment and emerging but limited literature suggesting potential benefit in musculoskeletal healing pain and modulation,” his physician told the coroner. “The treatment is recognized as experimental and prescribed off-label, but it is done so under close clinical supervision, with ongoing monitoring and consideration of individual patient needs and responses.”
After a March 25, 2025, dose, Richard told his doctor that he felt “good” and the peptide therapy seemed to be “improving his symptoms” to help promote muscle growth.
“Richard reported that he was experiencing better sleep, reduced pain and increased exercise capacity with no side effects,” the findings state. “He also disclosed to the nurse that he had been administering double the prescribed dose.”
After injecting another dose days later, the actor felt hot and flush. He collapsed, unresponsive, while his wife performed CPR and called first responders. Richard died after arriving in the hospital, with the coroner finding that the reaction from the injection triggered a lethal cardiac arrest.
In the wake of Richard’s death, the coroner is now advocating for more regulations surrounding peptide therapy.
“Given the likely risks associated with peptides … and the lack of evidence as to their therapeutic benefits, I am not satisfied that it is appropriate for them to be available to be prescribed by medical practitioners,” he stated. “It is not clear to me how their safe use can be clinically indicated given the acknowledged uncertainties as to their therapeutic benefit and their risks (as yet not fully known) to the safety of patients.”
The medical professional believes that peptide use should be banned for human use, save for specific exceptions like clinical trials, until further research can attest to its safety.
