Bronx Born Actor Tony Curtis Dead at 85

By Alicia Cruz
The Black Urban Times

The death of Bronx born actor, Tony Curtis, was announced by the Clark County Coroner's Office, The Associated Press reported.

Curtis was born Bernard Schwartz on June 3, 1925, in the Bronx, New York to Emanuel Schwartz and his wife Helen Klein. His parents were Hungarian Jewish immigrants from Mátészalka, Hungary.

Curtis became a 1950s movie heartthrob, starring in such films as "Sweet Smell of Success," "The Defiant Ones" and "Some Like It Hot," as a cross-dressing musician.

A representative for Curtis' daughter, actress Jamie Leigh Curtis, confirmed his death, The Associated Press reported. His first wife was actress Janet Leigh of Psycho fame and the mother of his daughter, actress Jamie Leigh Curtis.

The famous Bronxnite returned to film and television after battling drug and alcohol abuse. His brash optimism returned, and he allowed his once-shiny black hair to turn silver. He also became a painter whose canvasses sold for as much as $20,000, USA Today reported.

On July 8, 2010, Curtis suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and was hospitalized in Las Vegas after suffering an asthma attack during a book signing engagement in Henderson, Nevada at Costco. Representatives for the family say Curtis died in bed at his Las Vegas home, around 9:25 PM of cardiac arrest. He was 85-years-old.