Steroid Use and Death
Atwater's health history has been subject to much speculation. Early in his career, he used steroids heavily to add bulk to his six-foot-one-inch frame. Suffering from terminal cancer, he died on May 24, 1978 in Los Angeles, shortly after his 60th birthday, from a stroke.
At least two sources who were close to the actor believe the dramatic changes in his facial structure that started in the mid-1960s also resulted from steroid overuse, which is known to cause acromegaly. The bridge of his nose widened, his brow became very prominent (causing his eyes to appear more sunken), and his jaw line started to weaken. He appears to have also undergone extensive and intentional plastic surgery that included a facelift, eyelid surgery, and at least two dramatic rhinoplasties.
His final television role was as a gun fence in one scene on The Rockford Files in 1977, with Atwater's character "Roach" interviewed by star James Garner in closeup while feeding pigeons from a park bench.
Read more about this topic: Barry Atwater
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