Heartthrob Actor Richard Chamberlain Dies Aged 90 After Suffering a Stroke: Inside the Shocking Secret He Took to the Grave
Richard Chamberlain died aged 90.
March 30 2025, Published 12:45 p.m. ET
Richard Chamberlain, the Emmy-nominated actor who starred in hit TV shows like Dr. Kildare and the original mini-series of Shogun, has died at the age of 90.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the '60s heartthrob took a secret about his love life to his grave.
Richard Chamberlain died from complications of a stroke.
According to the actor's publicist, Harlan Boll, Chamberlain died late on Saturday, March 29, in Hawaii from complications of a stroke.
The TV actor's longtime partner, Martin Rabbett, said in a statement: "Our beloved Richard is with the angels now.
"He is free and soaring to those loved ones before us. How blessed were we to have known such an amazing and loving soul. Love never dies. And our love is under his wings, lifting him to his next great adventure."
Richard Chamberlain won several Golden Globes.
Chamberlain nearly married three times but broke off each relationship because he refused to commit himself to another person.
In his younger years, the actor claimed: "I don't like being committed, and a lifetime commitment to me is unrealistic.
"I like moving around, that feeling of the wind going by.
"Things are changing so fast. Marriage goes back to a time when life was slower. But people are changing, and things are changing. People study and become dentists, then quit and become gardeners. To me, that's fabulous. But it's hard on relationships. You come together with someone so intensely, for a while. And then with everything moving so fast, you're gone."
Richard Chamberlain stared in several iconic TV shows and mini-series.
Most of his roles were as romantic leading men, which is why he did not publicly come out as gay until he was 68 years old.
He told the New York Times in 2014: "When you grow up in the 30s, '40s and '50s being gay, it's not only ain't easy, it's just impossible. I assumed there was something terribly wrong with me. And even becoming famous and all that, it was still there."
Chamberlain claimed it was a "tremendous relief" to acknowledge his sexuality in his 2003 autobiography, Shattered Love: A Memoir.
In 1977, Chamberlain began a long-term relationship with Rabbett. They began living together in Hawaii in 1986 and had a private commitment ceremony.
The two actors separated amicably in 2010, with the Emmy nominee moving to Los Angeles.
In a 2014 interview, Chamberlain said that while he and Rabbett were no longer intimately involved, they remained close friends.
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Chamberlain was named 'king of the mini-series'.
Chamberlain was named "king of the mini-series" after appearing in several TV dramas in the '80s.
He also starred as the original Jason Bourne in the 1988 mini-series The Bourne Identity.
In 1988, producer Susan Baerwald said: 'What's fascinating about Richard is that his range is enormous. His ability to be different each time out is what makes him such a valuable property."
Chamberlain went on to win Golden Globes for his work in Shogun, The Thorn Birds and Dr. Kildare.
