Playwright had a heart attack

Heart attack brought on by hypertensive cardiovascular disease has been established as the cause of playwright John Belluso’s death, the New York City medical examiner’s office reported after concluding post-autopsy tests last week.

Belluso, 36, was found dead Feb. 10 in a Manhattan hotel room, where he was working to finish a play commissioned by New York’s Public Theater.

Belluso, who required a wheelchair starting in his teens because of a rare bone disorder that made his health a constant issue, emerged as a leading voice in giving nonstereotypical dimension and sociopolitical bite to the stories of disabled characters. He led the Mark Taper Forum’s Other Voices Project for disabled playwrights until it was disbanded last spring.

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-- Mike Boehm