The “Lenny” star died on March 23 at 82.

Superman actress Valerie Perrine’s official cause of death revealed

The "Lenny" star died on March 23 at 82.

By Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel is a news writer at **. He began writing for EW in 2022.

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on April 8, 2026 6:15 p.m. ET

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Valerie Perrine. Credit:

James Globus/NBCU Photo Bank

- Authorities announced the official cause of death for *Superman *star Valerie Perrine.

- The *Lenny *actress died from acute cardiopulmonary arrest.

- Perrine's underlying cause of death was Parkinson's disease.

Valerie Perrine's official cause of death has been revealed.

The *Superman* star died from acute cardiopulmonary arrest, according to her death certificate, which was obtained by PEOPLE. Her underlying cause of death was listed as Parkinson's disease, with which she was diagnosed in 2015. The document also listed dementia as a contributing factor to the actress' death.

Perrine, who portrayed Lex Luthor's accomplice Eve Teschmacher in the first two Christopher Reeve *Superman* films, died in Beverly Hills, Calif., on March 23. She was 82.

Valerie Perrine.

Universal/courtesy Everett

The actress' friend and caretaker, Stacey Souther, announced her death on Facebook. "It is with deep sadness that I share the heartbreaking news that Valerie has passed away," she wrote. "She faced Parkinson's disease with incredible courage and compassion, never once complaining. She was a true inspiration who lived life to the fullest — and what a magnificent life it was. The world feels less beautiful without her in it."

In the description of a GoFundMe campaign raising money for the actress' funeral, Souther wrote that Perrine "passed away peacefully at her home" while "surrounded by love, exactly as she had wished." The campaign hit its $50,000 goal on April 5, which means Perrine will be buried and interred at Forest Lawn in Southern California.

"Because of your love, generosity, and support, Valerie’s final wish will become a reality," Souther wrote in an update. "I'm beyond grateful to each and every one of you who contributed, shared, and showed up for her in this way. What you've all done here is truly beautiful, and I know she would be so deeply touched."

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After working in Las Vegas as a showgirl, Perrine made her film debut in 1972's *Slaughterhouse-Five*. She went on to appear in films like *The Cannonball Run*, *The Electric Horseman*, *What Women Want*, and *54*. She also acted in TV shows such as *As the World Turns*, *ER*, *Northern Exposure*, *Homicide: Life on the Street*, *Just Shoot Me*, and *Lights Out*. She received an Oscar nomination for her turn in Bob Fosse's 1974 Lenny Bruce biopic *Lenny*.

Perrine's final screen performance came in the 2015 dramedy *Silver Skies*. She retired from acting shortly after she was diagnosed with Parkinson's that same year.

Perrine said that she initially observed Parkinson's symptoms while shooting a movie, though she didn't recognize the implications at the time.

"I first noticed I had a tremor on a movie set," she told Parkinson's Europe in 2025. "I was carrying dishes in a scene, and we were doing multiple takes. The sound man came over and asked me not to shake them so much. That was the first time I noticed I had tremors. I was diagnosed with essential tremors first. Then my Parkinson’s diagnosis came years later. It took a while to figure out what I had."

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The actress said that medications, marijuana, and deep brain stimulation all helped her manage her condition. "I've always lived in the moment," she said in the same interview. "I don’t dwell on the past or worry about the future. I try to live for today, and Parkinson’s hasn't changed that."

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