 Paxton claimed in the beginning of 2017 that he had a damaged aortic heart valve as a result of rheumatic disease he acquired as a child. He had open heart surgery on February 14th to replace the broken valve and treat an aortic aneurysm at Cedar Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He needed an urgent second surgery to fix a damaged coronary artery the following day. The next 10 days saw a decline in his health and on February 25th he suffered a fatal stroke passing away at the age of 61. He was cremated and buried at the Hollywood Hills Forest Lawn Memorial Park. Paxton's family sued Ali Coinajad, the surgeon who carried out his procedure, for wrongful death one year after Paxton passed away. They claimed that Coinajad employed high risk and unconventional techniques.