Clint Eastwood’s longtime partner Christina Sandera’s cause of death has been revealed days after she passed away.
As previously reported, the Gran Turino actor announced that his 61-year-old girlfriend passed away on July 18.
The heartbreaking news was confirmed in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, with 94-year-old Eastwood writing in a tribute: "Christina was a lovely, caring woman, and I will miss her very much."
The couple reportedly first met in 2014 at the Mission Ranch Hotel in Carmel, California, where Sandera was working as a hostess. They began dating shortly after that.
A representative from the Monterey County Health Department has disclosed to the New York Post that the late woman passed away from a heart attack.
Sandera’s death certificate revealed her immediate cause of death as cardiac arrhythmia, an abnormal heart rhythm, with atherosclerotic coronary artery disease as a contributing factor.
Atherosclerosis occurs when your arteries narrow, making it hard for blood to flow through them, per NHS. Blood clots can develop when atheromas rupture, further obstructing blood flow around the body.
Atherosclerosis becomes most concerning when it lessens the blood supply to the heart or brain as this can lead to a heart attack or stroke.
Sandera, who was noted as a philanthropist in the death certificate, maintained a low profile despite Eastwood's A-list status.
She only attended a few public events with the actor-director during their 10-year relationship, including the 2015 Academy Awards when her beau's movie American Sniper was nominated for six Oscars.
She also accompanied him to the premieres of Sully in 2016, The Mule in 2018, and The 15:17 to Paris that same year. The duo walked their last red carpet together in November 2019 at AFI Fest in Hollywood.
The Unforgiven star never tied the knot with Sandera. Despite this, his longtime partner left a profound impact on his children's lives as his daughter Morgan, 27, paid tribute to Sandera after news of her death.
The 27-year-old shared a picture of herself and her husband, Tanner Koopmans, with her dad and Sandera at her wedding last month, writing: “A devastating loss for our whole family."
“Thank you Christina for being a good partner to my Dad. You will be greatly missed," she added.
Eastwood was previously married to model Maggie Johnson from 1953 to 1984 and TV anchor Dina Ruiz, from 1996 to 2014. He met his late partner shortly after finalizing his second divorce.
The actor has eight children: daughters Laurie, Kimber, Alison, Kathryn, Francesca, and Morgan, and sons Kyle and Scott.
Our thoughts continue to be with Sandera’s loved ones at this time.
