Richard Norton tragically died at the age of 75 in March 2025. The Hollywood icon was best known for his high-stakes roles, famously facing off against the likes of Jackie Chan and the late Chuck Norris. It has now been revealed that the martial arts expert succumbed to a heart attack after doubling the dosage of peptides prescribed by his doctor, according to a coroner’s report. The tragic death “was triggered by his injection” of peptides, Melbourne-based coroner David Ryan concluded in a report filed Wednesday in the Coroners Court of Victoria.
“Richard had been taking amounts of the medication in excess of the dose prescribed by his medical practitioner.”
Two days before he died on March 30, 2025, Richard told his doctor’s nurse that “he had been administering double the prescribed dose of CJC1295 & Ipamorelin,” the report states.
“The nurse advised Richard that from the following week he ought to only administer the prescribed dose.”
According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, his death appears to be the first confirmed fatality in the country linked to unapproved peptides.
Peptides are small proteins that can have a wide range of effects on the body, and, amid a recent wellness craze, they have been claimed to provide treatments for everything from faster healing and younger-looking skin to better sleep and even a longer life.
In the UK, grey-market peptides exist within a legal and regulatory middle zone. They are not illegal to buy or own, but they are not approved for human use and, as a result, are not subject to the quality controls that govern pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Five days before his death, the athlete told his doctor that he was feeling good, but just three days later, he “requested a replacement” after allegedly “dropp[ing] and [breaking]” the vial of his treatment.
Richard was then granted the replacement, along with two additional peptides, when the nurse warned him only to take the prescribed amount.
After he had injected the second dose of peptides that evening, his wife, Judy Green, said the star complained of feeling “hot and flushed and then collapsed and became unresponsive” at around 9 pm.
Judy contacted her doctor and medical services and administered CPR until medics arrived before 9:30 pm. Clinicians noted that he suffered anaphylaxis followed by cardiac arrest after injecting the peptides.
During his career, in addition to being a first-class film fighter, Norton also trained Hollywood stars like Ben Affleck, Tom Hardy, Scarlett Johansson, Liam Neeson and Margot Robbie, and previously worked as a stuntman and bodyguard for rock legends like David Bowie and Stevie Nicks.
After his death, his wife took to Instagram to share a heartbreaking tribute, writing: “I am numb and devastated. I have no words. I have lost my everything.
“I know there is, and will be, lots of love and shock that we have lost this incredible human being. The love of my life. I’m using this time to come to terms with my great loss. Judy,” she concluded.
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