Alexis Arquette lived with HIV for nearly three decades before her death on September 11 of this year, People reports. The late actress and trans activist's death certificate reveals she died of a heart attack likely connected to a bacterial infection she contracted three weeks prior. The 47-year-old also suffered from cardiomyopathy for three years.
Arquette appeared in more than 60 films and television shows during her decades-long career including Friends, Pulp Fiction, and The Wedding Singer. She also starred in a 2007 documentary chronicling her transition titled Alexis Arquette: She's My Brother. Arquette's sister, Patricia Arquette, published a statement to Facebook on behalf of her family in the wake of Alexis' death, praising her sister and criticizing the lack of roles available to trans actors and actresses. "Her career was cut short, not by her passing, but by her decision to live her truth and her life as a transgender woman," Patricia wrote. "Despite the fact that there are few parts for trans actors, she refused to play roles that were demeaning or stereotypical. She was a vanguard in the fight for understanding and acceptance for all trans people."
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