Patrick Muldoon sent what would be his final video to his sister just one day before his sudden death from a heart attack on Sunday at the age of 57. The clip was made all the more poignant as it featured Muldoon pointing out a heavenly painting: Saint Ignatius of Loyola's Vision of Christ and God the Father at La Storta by Domenico Zampieri, circa 1622.
The actor was attending the opening of the new David Geffen Galleries at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art on Saturday. His sister, Shana Muldoon Zappa, 48, shared the video on Instagram this week while remembering her older brother as 'the jokester, the artist, the football player, and the intensely spiritually connected, Jesuit educated, incredible being that is Patrick Muldoon. My best friend. The best brother / son / uncle anyone could ever possibly ask for.'
Muldoon, who had also expressed excitement about a new project with Chris Hemsworth in a post shared two days before his death, appeared energetic and playfully eccentric in the clip. 'I'm at the opening of the new LACMA. And what do I see?' he began as his camera panned around the room before stopping at Zampieri's famous work. 'It's a beautiful painting. 1622. Ignatius – Loyola.' He then broke into a rally cry from his alma mater Loyola High School in Los Angeles: 'LL-LOY. I think that's what he was thinking in the picture actually.'
His sister, who is married to Frank Zappa's son Ahmet, indicated the chant was from her brother's football days at high school, which took Saint Ignatius of Loyola as its namesake. She went on to say that the family will eventually hold a 'celebration of life' service, but for now they are still processing their grief. 'I continue to speak of him in present tense. Because his spirit is all around me. He just changed forms,' Zappa wrote.
Heart Attack at Home
Muldoon suffered a heart attack at the Beverly Hills home he shared with his girlfriend Miriam Rothbart on Sunday morning, his manager confirmed to Variety. The actor and art lover, best known for his roles in Days of Our Lives and Melrose Place, had gone to take a shower and was found unconscious on the bathroom floor when his girlfriend checked on him. Paramedics were called to the scene but were unable to revive him.
Tributes from Denise Richards
Denise Richards, 55, his ex-girlfriend and co-star in the 1997 sci-fi film Starship Troopers, shared a message on Instagram reflecting on their decades-long friendship. 'I am deeply heartbroken and devastated losing you. You were my best friend and my family,' she wrote on Tuesday. 'We met in our first acting class, I was 19 never had an acting job and you were 21 a student at USC doing a recurring role on Who's the Boss. And here we are. 36 years later. My whole adult life and I don't know it without you.'
Richards' emotional Instagram post was accompanied by a video montage featuring images and clips of the pair over several decades, set to the song Everything I Own by Bread. 'The friendship, love, support, respect and loyalty we had was unconditional and rare. You lit up every room you walked into,' she continued. 'You are larger than life and everyone was drawn to you. So talented and most underrated actor. And most humble. Everything you did was infectious. Your laugh, your kindness, your wit, your strength, your loyalty, your passion and your zest for life. We've been each other's rock. Our memories together are endless. You've had my back and protected me more than anyone.'
She added, 'I don't know what I'm going to do without you here. Especially during this last year of pain and heartache. And now I need you more than ever, for this pain and heartache losing you. Schweet babe we've had those conversations. We thought we'd live forever or at least into our 90's. Schweet babe I will be looking for those signs. I need to know you're still here with me. I love you so much and miss you dearly schweet babe.'
The pair dated for nearly five years before remaining close friends and collaborators, most recently working together on the upcoming crime thriller Dirty Hands, scheduled for digital release on Friday. Muldoon was known for his roles as Austin Reed on Days of Our Lives from 1992 to 1995 and as Richard Hart on Melrose Place for three seasons until 1996. He also famously dated Tori Spelling when she was on Beverly Hills, 90210 and he was on Melrose Place.
