Coroner Says Actor Richard Norton's Fatal Heart Attack Followed Doubling Prescribed Peptide Dose

Australian actor and martial artist Richard Norton, 75, died of a heart attack triggered by peptide injections he took at double the prescribed dose, a Victorian coroner found in a report filed Wednesday. Melbourne-based coroner David Ryan concluded that Norton, who died at home on March 30, 2025, had been taking more of the medication than his doctor prescribed. Norton had been approved for peptide therapy on March 19. Two days before his death he told his doctor's nurse he was injecting double the prescribed dose of CJC1295 and Ipamorelin, and the nurse told him to take only the prescribed amount from the following week. His wife, Judy Green, said he complained of feeling hot and flushed on the evening of his death, then collapsed around 9 p.m. She gave CPR until medics arrived before 9:30 p.m. Clinicians noted anaphylaxis followed by cardiac arrest. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported it appears to be the first confirmed death in Australia linked to unapproved peptides. Norton had fought Chuck Norris and Jackie Chan on screen and trained actors including Ben Affleck and Margot Robbie.

The New York Post, the right-leaning outlet, leads with Norton ignoring the nurse's warning, uses the word "grim" in its headline, and gives the most detail on the final days: the broken vial, the replacement with two extra peptides, and his wife's account. It also notes that RFK Jr. has popularized peptides. NBC News, on the left, leads with the coroner's conclusion and quotes Ryan directly. It adds context on peptides promoted by online influencers and spends more space on Norton's film career, training of Hollywood stars and work as a bodyguard for David Bowie and Stevie Nicks. Both cite the nurse's warning and the double dose, and both rely on the coroner's report. They differ in emphasis: personal responsibility and political context versus the official finding and his career. TMZ echoes the warning angle, while NewsNation highlights the possible first confirmed death.