Superman actress Valerie Perrine’s official cause of death revealed after her passing at age 82

An official cause of death has been determined for actress Valerine Perrine following her passing at age 82.

The actress died of acute cardiopulmonary arrest (also called sudden cardiac arrest), according to a death certificate reviewed by People. 

Perrine was battling Parkinson’s at the time of her passing and the disease was found to be an underlying cause of death.

The ailment was additionally found to be a contributing factor in her passing by The Los Angeles Department of Health.

Perrine, the Oscar-nominated actress who played Lex Luthor’s love interest Eve Teschmacher in the Superman films, died at age 82 on March 23, 2026. 

Perrine’s friend Stacey Souther announced the loss online, writing on a GoFundMe that she died at her home ‘surrounded by love’ following ‘a quiet, courageous battle against both Parkinson’s disease and debilitating central tremors.’

Perrine’s exemplary acting career included roles in Slaughterhouse-Five, the Electric Horseman, and one of Hollywood’s highest honors – an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for her role in the 1974 film Lenny.

The star also became known as a sex symbol, having posed for Playboy twice.

‘It is with deep sadness that I share the heartbreaking news that Valerie has passed away,’ Souther wrote on her social media accounts. ‘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.

‘I love you, Valerie. I’ll see you on the other side.’

Souther also created a GoFundMe to help fulfill Perrine’s last wish of being buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park after she exhausted her finances during her health battle.

‘Please consider donating, sharing, and helping spread the word for her funeral GoFundMe. Her final wish is to be laid to rest at Forest Lawn Cemetery, but after more than 15 years of fighting Parkinson’s, her finances are exhausted. Let’s come together to make her last wish a reality—she truly deserves it.’

The fundraiser laid bare Perrine’s health battle within the last 15 years.

‘Around 2011, Valerie began experiencing the first signs of essential tremors; involuntary shaking that slowly began to steal the very instrument she’d built her life around: her body, her presence, her ability to perform. She laughed it off in public. But behind closed doors, the reality was devastating,’ the GoFundMe read.

‘The tremors were accompanied by the relentless progression of Parkinson’s disease. The career that had defined her life was no longer possible.

‘As roles dried up, so did the financial security that should have come with a lifetime of extraordinary work. Valerie spent what she had on medical care, determined to fight. She fought for fifteen years. She never complained. She kept smiling.’

Souther documented Perrine’s life in the documentary Valerie, a film that focused on her strength following her Parkinson’s diagnosis, according to The Independent.

In the original Superman and it’s sequel, Superman II, Perrine played Lex Luthor’s personal assistant Eve Teschmacher.

Luthor was played by Gene Hackman and when the actor passed last year at age 95, Perrine paid her respects. 

‘The great Gene Hackman has passed away,’ she posted on social media. ‘He was a genius & 1 of the greatest to grace the silver screen. I had the honor of working with Him on Superman. His performances are legendary. His talent will be missed. Goodbye my sweet Lex Till we meet again. Valerie.’

Perrine also shared the spotlight with the late Christopher Reeves, coming to Superman’s rescue in the first film.

She was considered a sex symbol during her life and even posed for Playboy. 

Perrine’s acting career began after she moved to Las Vegas to work as a showgirl – a move which ultimately led to her first-ever acting role in the 1972 movie Slaughterhouse-Five.

While at a dinner party, she met an agent who was seeking to fill the role of Montana Wildhack, a softcore porn actress, in the film – a part that went to Perrine. 

‘That’s how I became an actress,’ she said in a 2025 interview, according to Deadline. 

That role was just the beginning of what would be an extraordinary acting career. 

Just two years later, she was up for one of her industry’s highest honors, the Oscar for Best Actress, for her part in Lenny, a biographical film about comedian Lenny Bruce.

The movie, which also starred Dustin Hoffman and was directed by Bob Fosse, saw Perrine play Bruce’s wife Honey Bruce. 

While she lost out on the Oscar, she did get honors from the BAFTAs and Cannes Film Festival over the project. 

With the highs came the career lows – in 1980 she starred opposite Caitlyn Jenner, Steve Guttenberg and The Village People in Can’t Stop the Music, a film which won the Razzies for Worst Picture and Worst Screenplay. 

‘It ruined my career — I moved to Europe after, I was so embarrassed,’ she said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. 

She recovered from the setback and continued working in Hollywood for years, including a role in the Nancy Meyers hit What Woman Want. 

Her last credited role is in the 2016 comedy Silver Skies. 

Perrine did not have any children nor did she ever marry but she was engaged to Bill Haarman, a gun collector and importer who died in a gun accident in January 1969, just a month before they were set to walk down the aisle.

She also dated the late hairstylist Jay Sebring, one of the six people who were murdered by the Manson Family at Sharon Tate’s home in 1969.

Perrine was actually supposed to join Sebring for dinner at the Tate residence the night of the tragedies but was unable due to work, according to The Independent. 

‘Remembering Jay Sebring today. We dated. I was supposed to be with him at Sharon Tate’s house,’ Perrine posted to X.