Clint Eastwood’s longtime girlfriend, Christina Sandera’s cause of death has been revealed.
According to a representative from the Monterey County Health Department, who spoke to the New York Post on Tuesday, July 23, Sandera passed away on Thursday, July 18. A death certificate obtained by the outlet listed the immediate cause as “cardiac arrhythmia,” which refers to an abnormality in one’s heartbeat pattern or timing.
The document also outlined that “atherosclerotic coronary artery disease” was an additional condition that led to Sandera’s death. She was 61.
Eastwood, 94, confirmed Sandera’s death to The Hollywood Reporter in a July 19 statement.
“Christina was a lovely, caring woman, and I will miss her very much,” he told the outlet at the time.
Us Weekly has reached out to the Monterey County Health Department for further comment.
Eastwood and Sandera were together for more than a decade. In 2014, Us confirmed that the couple met while she was a hostess working at Eastwood’s Mission Ranch Hotel and Restaurant in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. (The Oscar winner was formerly the mayor of the cozy beach town.)
The pair remained private about their relationship over the years. However, they have attended several Hollywood events together and made their red carpet debut at the 2015 Academy Awards. Eastwood’s film American Sniper was up for six awards including Best Picture. Sandera continued to accompany Eastwood at events including the premieres of his projects Sully, The Mule, The 15:17 to Paris and Richard Jewell.
The actor was married twice before his romance with Sandera. He wed model Maggie Johnson in 1953 and the pair share two children, son Kyle and daughter Allison. The exes divorced in 1984.
More than a decade later, the Gran Torino star tied the knot for a second time with Dina Eastwood in 1996. The pair welcomed daughter Morgan later that year and split in 2013 after 17 years of marriage. The exes finalized their divorce the following year. (Dina moved on with current husband Scott Fisher in 2016.)
In addition to the children he welcomed with his ex-wives, Eastwood is also the father of daughter Laurie, whom he met later in life, daughter Kimber whom he welcomed with ex Roxanne Tunis, son Scott and daughter Katryn whom he shares with ex Jacelyn Reeves. He shares daughter Francesca with ex Frances Fisher.
“I’m a much better father now than when I was younger because then I was working all around the world and I was desperate to find the brass ring, so I worked constantly,” the actor said of his family dynamic in a 2008 interview with The Star. “Now my daughter takes precedence over everything and even though I’ve done a lot of work in the past year, it’s not because I’ve ignored her or not been involved in her school activities.”
