How did Charlie Chaplin Jr. die? His sudden passing detailed

Netflix’s Blonde has not only sparked increased interest in Marilyn Monroe’s life but also shone a light on other celebrities of the 50s and 60s, including Charlie ‘Cass’ Chaplin Jr., the eldest son of comedian and actor Charlie Chaplin and his second wife, Lita Grey. 

Charlie and his younger brother, Sydney, were used as pawns during their parents’ public and bitter divorce. Chaplin Jr. lived with his mother and grandmother in the mid-1930s before reuniting with his father around the time Cass got romantically involved with Marilyn Monroe. 

In Blonde, Cass’ death affects Marilyn Monroe, contributing to her tragic demise. In reality, Chaplin Jr. outlived Monroe by six years. 

Charlie Chaplin Jr. died of a pulmonary embolism in his grandmother’s house

On 20th March 1968, Charlie Chaplin, 42, collapsed and died due to a pulmonary embolism in his grandmother’s house. The autopsy revealed that extensive thrombosis of Charlie’s right leg caused an obstruction of a major blood vessel near the lungs. 

Lillian Grey, Chaplin’s grandmother, discovered his unconscious grandson in a bathroom. Charlie had recently returned from hospital following treatment for pleurisy and pneumonia. 

Chaplin Jr. was wearing a cast on a leg he’d broken in an earlier fall and was using crutches. Charlie had tried and failed to find success in the entertainment industry. In the 15 years before his death, Charlie had been arrested several times for drunkenness. 

After serving in Europe during World War II, Chaplin appeared in Columbus Discovers Krahwinkel (1954) and High School Confidential (1958). In 1960, he wrote My Father, Charlie Chaplin, a novel about his family life. 

Charlie Chaplin Jr. left behind a daughter, Susan Maree, and two ex-wives, Susan Magness and Marta Brown. Cass is interred in the Abbey of the Psalms mausoleum at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery alongside his grandmother Lillian Grey.