Harold and Maude star Bud Cort went through several serious health challenges before his death at age 77 in February 2026. The Golden Globe nominee was born into a show business family as the son of Alma, a publicist for Hollywood studio MGM, and Joseph, an orchestra leader. Cort studied at the prestigious New York University Tisch School of the Arts, though friends said he spent more time hanging around Barbra Streisand's Funny Girl stage door on Broadway than in the classroom as a teenager. "He would hang out at the stage door with Barbra's sister, Roslyn Kind," his friend Dorian Hannaway told The Hollywood Reporter. "He would go to every performance he could. He just loved the theater. He wanted to be that creative person from the time he was a child." Cort was discovered by acclaimed director Robert Altman for breakthrough roles in 1970's M*A*S*H and Brewster McCloud, which in turn led to being cast in 1971's Harold and Maude. For Harold and Maude, Cort received Golden Globe and BAFTA Award nominations for his depiction of a death-obsessed teenager in a May-December romance with a 79-year-old woman (Ruth Gordon). The Most Shocking Celebrity Deaths of All Time: James Van Der Beek and More He continued to act throughout the 1970s before he suffered life-changing injuries in a 1979 car crash. Cort eventually recovered sufficiently enough to return to acting - most notably in supporting roles in Kevin Smith's Dogma, writer-director Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and crime drama Heat. Keep scrolling for more information about Cort's death and those who paid tribute. How Did Bud Cort Die? Bud Cort's close friend, producer Dorian Hannaway, confirmed on February 11, 2026, that the actor died from complications from pneumonia in Connecticut. Cort went through a long period of illness prior to his death. Cort largely stopped acting in the final decade of his life. His most recent credits were voicing The King in the 2015 animated adaptation of The Little Prince and an appearance in the 2016 short film Affections, opposite comic Bridey Elliott. (Elliott also wrote and directed Affections.) Who Paid Tribute to Bud Cort? Producer Dorian Hannaway announced Bud Cort's death in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter on February 11, 2026. "Bud Cort was a savant at acting, at theater, and he was blessed with a passion for this as a young man, as he loved art," Hannaway said. Singer-songwriter Yusuf (a.k.a Cat Stevens) honored his shared connection with Cort over Harold and Maude, as the singer-songwriter composed original music for the 1971 movie. "May God the Most Merciful forgive and bless the soul of our great friend Bud Cort... who played the part of Harold in our lives," Yusuf tweeted. Cort's The Little Prince costar Jeff Bridges hailed Cort for his "wondrous" talent via a Facebook post. "The Wondrous BUD CORT, my dear friend, is no longer with us. We love and miss you Bud," Bridges wrote. Ruth Gordon and Bud Cort in "Harold and Maude." Everett Collection Jamie Lee Curtis' memorial message for Cort revealed that she met him by chance "on an airplane, heading to Europe for my Trading Places publicity tour" in the 1980s. "[Publicist] Heidi Schaeffer and I were sitting in front of bud and immediately became fast friends and a few years later Heidi arranged, as a complete surprise to me, to have Bud Cort come and be a male stripper at my wedding shower that she threw along with my friend Debbie Dresner," Curtis recalled via Instagram. "Needless to say it was hilarious and he didn't say a word. He just came in and did his thing and then split. My mother was in attendance and absolutely loved it. I heard today that he has died. He was a talented and interesting person, and I am glad that the universe brought us into orbit with each other for a brief time." Hot Fuzz filmmaker Edgar Wright offered a "very sad, but extremely fond farewell to the unforgettable Bud Cort," whom he praised for his "welcome and magnetic presence in every film lucky enough to have him." "Not only is this beloved film a pitch perfect black comedy-cum-love story for the ages, but Bud Cort delivers one of the greatest looks to camera in film," Wright continued. The director went on, "[Cort] was always fun to watch in any part big or small, some other films of his I enjoyed include M*A*S*H, Brewster McCloud, Gas-s-s-s, Invaders from Mars, The Chocolate War, Heat, Dogma and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou among many others that I implore you to list below. And if you haven't seen Harold And Maude, rectify this tonight. Keep breaking that fourth wall, Bud. We'll miss you." Famed Hollywood publicist Danny Deraney remembered Cort as "one of those actors who always added his own style of quirkiness to any role." What Health Problems Did Bud Cort Face? Bud Cort was nearly killed in a 1979 car accident on the Hollywood Freeway in Los Angeles. He suffered numerous life-altering injuries, including a fractured skull and a nearly-severed lowe