Top Gun: Maverick star James Handy’s cause of death has been confirmed, days after he was stabbed to death in Los Angeles.
On June 3, officers found Handy unconscious and suffering from a stab wound to his chest in the front yard of a Tarzana home. The 81-year-old, known for his decades-long career as a reliable character actor, was pronounced dead at a hospital.
According to records from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office, reviewed Friday by People, Handy died from a stab wound to the torso and neck compression. The manner of his death was ruled a homicide.
Investigators have arrested 44-year-old Michael Gledhill — the son of Handy’s longtime girlfriend Wendy Gledhill — on suspicion of murder. Michael is charged with one count of murder with a special allegation that he personally used a deadly weapon, a knife. He has yet to enter a plea as he undergoes psychiatric evaluations.
The LAPD said officers found Handy unconscious at his home, which he shared with Wendy and Michael, after a 911 caller told dispatchers, “I am the son of man, I just killed the man of sin.”
At the scene, Michael flagged the officers down and told them “he was the one they were looking for,” police said. Security footage taken nearby also appeared to show him walking around the area shortly after the stabbing.
Wendy told TMZ her son suffers from mental health issues, including schizophrenia, and stopped taking his medication earlier this month.
“They know I loved him so much,” she said of Handy’s family. “I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry this happened. I’m still in shock. I still can’t comprehend it.”
She told the Daily Mail that moments before Handy was stabbed to death, he “had gotten up to get the newspaper.”
Wendy, who was still in bed and did not notice anything out of the ordinary, said, “I can only assume my son was already out there and they started to argue, from my understanding, on the front yard.”
Handy booked many blockbuster movies throughout his career, from Arachnophobia with Jeff Daniels and superhero flick The Rocketeer to Robin Williams classic Jumanji. However, one of his biggest roles was Lieutenant Roger Byers in 1989’s K-9. He starred alongside Jim Belushi, Mel Harris and Ed O’Neill in the film and reprised his role in its straight-to-video sequel, K-911, 10 years later.
His final acting job was in 2022, with the veteran thespian working to play barman Jimmy in Top Gun: Maverick, alongside Jennifer Connelly. The film, which is the sequel to Tom Cruise’s popular original, grossed over $1.5 billion worldwide at the box office.
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