The cause of death of Patrick Muldoon — the actor best known for his roles on two of the most-watched television dramas of the 1990s — has been officially confirmed.
According to People magazine, which obtained Muldoon’s death certificate, the 57-year-old actor died from a myocardial infarction, the medical term for a heart attack. The certificate lists pulmonary embolism and hereditary coagulopathy — a condition affecting the blood’s ability to clot — as the underlying causes that contributed to his death.
Muldoon passed away on April 19. His remains were cremated on April 28.
The circumstances of Muldoon’s death were first shared by his sister, Shana Muldoon-Zappa, in accounts reported by TMZ.
The actor had spent Sunday morning at the Beverly Hills home he shared with his partner, Miriam Rothbart. After a normal morning together, Muldoon stepped into the bathroom to shower. Rothbart later discovered him unconscious on the bathroom floor.
He did not recover.
A Career Built on Iconic Roles
Patrick Muldoon was born in San Pedro, California, and took his first steps toward an on-camera career while attending the University of Southern California. After graduating in 1991, he appeared in two episodes of “Who’s the Boss?” and landed a brief role on “Saved by the Bell” — early credits that foreshadowed a run of more prominent work to come.
His breakout arrived when he was cast as Austin Reed on “Days of Our Lives”, a role he held from 1992 to 1995 and reprised in 2011. The part made him a fixture in the world of daytime television and introduced him to a devoted audience that would follow his career for decades.
He then joined the cast of “Melrose Place” as Richard Hart, appearing for three seasons until 1996 — years when the primetime soap was a genuine cultural phenomenon. His role on that show gave him a second wave of visibility and cemented his standing as one of the recognizable faces of 90s television.
In 1997, Muldoon stepped into feature films, playing Zander Barcalow in “Starship Troopers” — director Paul Verhoeven’s adaptation of the science fiction novel — alongside a cast that included Casper Van Dien and Dina Meyer.
The Man Behind the Roles
The professional credits tell one version of who Patrick Muldoon was. The people who knew him personally tell another — and in many ways, a fuller one.
Known as “Bobo” among his closest friends and family, Muldoon was described in a statement reported by Deadline as “endlessly generous — with his poetry, his humor, and his unmistakable presence.”
Those who loved him spoke of a man who moved through the world with particular warmth and intentionality.
“He loved animals and people alike, gave unforgettable hugs, and possessed a rare quality of making others feel safe and seen,” his friends said. “Stylish, charismatic, and full of life, he embraced each day with a full-tilt, rock ‘n’ roll spirit.”
He Is Survived By
Patrick Muldoon is survived by his partner, Miriam Rothbart; his parents, Deanna and Patrick Muldoon Sr.; his sister and brother-in-law, Shana and Ahmet Zappa; and his niece and nephew, Halo and Arrow Zappa, according to Variety.
Patrick Muldoon built his career on characters who burned brightly on screen — and by every account from those who knew him off it, he carried that same energy into his everyday life. He was 57 years old, beloved by a partner, a family, and a generation of television viewers who grew up watching him. A heart attack on a quiet Sunday morning in Beverly Hills ended what those closest to him describe as a life lived with full-tilt generosity and unmistakable presence. That is what they will carry forward. That, and a nickname — “Bobo” — that says more about who someone really is than any television credit ever could.
