C.W. Morgan, the actor who played Billy Loomis’ father in the original “Scream,” died of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, according to a Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner. He was 72.
The report comes nearly three months after Morgan’s daughter, Renata Macfie, announced his death in a Facebook tribute. While “Scream” fans knew him as the father of one of the franchise’s first Ghostface killers, Macfie remembered him for their Starbucks runs, drives along Mulholland and the poorly timed jokes she says she got from him.
The Medical Examiner Listed C.W. Morgan’s Death As Natural
Morgan, whose full name was Curtis Wade Morgan, died on August 30 in Los Angeles County. The medical examiner listed his death as natural. According to the American Heart Association, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease involves “plaque buildup in arterial walls.”
When news of his death first broke, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson told TMZ that officers had responded to a call for a death investigation and that it appeared he had died of natural causes. The Los Angeles Fire Department said it received a call about an unconscious man. Morgan had already died by the time responders arrived, so he was not taken to a hospital. The medical examiner’s report, reviewed by PEOPLE, has now identified the disease that caused his death.
C.W. Morgan’s Daughter’s Tribute Included A Throwback Photo
Macfie shared a throwback photo when she confirmed her father’s death on Facebook. She opened the post by admitting she didn’t know how to put the loss into words. “I’m never going to have the right words for this post,” she wrote. “Losing you has left the biggest hole in my heart. I miss you endlessly already.”
She went on to name two of the everyday outings she planned to keep doing in his memory. “I will carry on our Mulholland drives and our Starbucks outings,” she said. “I’m grateful and lucky to have had you as my daddy. My Guck. Rest easy bubby.”
Macfie also remembered her father’s sense of humor, saying she’d inherited his knack for making jokes at the wrong time.
How Hank Loomis Fit Into ‘Scream’
Morgan played Hank Loomis in the 1996 horror hit, opposite Skeet Ulrich as his son, Billy. Hank was a lawyer, and one of Morgan’s most memorable scenes came when he showed up to vouch for Billy while police were investigating him.
Hank’s own secrets had a much bigger part in the story. He’d had an affair with Maureen Prescott, the mother of Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott. The affair tore apart the Loomis family and helped explain why Billy turned his anger on Sidney and her mother. It also gave the franchise more family history to work with when Laurie Metcalf appeared as Billy’s mother, Nancy Loomis.
Morgan returned to the series four years later in “Scream 3,” where he appeared in a flashback. By then, fans knew how much trouble had started with a character they’d barely seen in the original.
C.W. Morgan’s Roles Beyond Woodsboro
Born June 8, 1954, in Bisbee, Arizona, Morgan made his screen debut in 1991 on NBC’s “Midnight Caller,” a drama about a former detective who hosts a late-night radio show. He went on to appear in the 1992 television movie “The Last of His Tribe” and the 1997 film “Metro.”
His final acting role was as Coleman Spencer in a 2000 episode of “Nash Bridges,” the same year he returned as Hank Loomis in “Scream 3.”
Morgan Went From MTV To A Video Game
Morgan also did voice work in two projects far removed from the Loomis family drama. He appeared in a 1995 episode of MTV’s animated series “Aeon Flux.” Two years later, he voiced Robert Cath in the PC game “The Last Express,” a role that gave players a chance to hear him just a year after “Scream” hit theaters.
In later years, Morgan shared glimpses of his life on social media, often posting selfies. His final post, dated June 11, 2025, was a photo of a pink flower in bloom, shared without a caption.
