‘TRULY WONDERFUL MAN’

Cause of Death of ‘Office Space’ Star Revealed

The actor starred in more than 400 projects during his five-decade-long Hollywood career.

The official cause of death of Office Space star Richard Riehle has been released. Riehle died at age 78 in Los Angeles on October 15, with friends telling TMZ at the time that he had died of natural causes. On Tuesday, the publication reported that his death certificate states Riehle died from a stroke, with oropharyngeal cancer, a type of throat cancer, listed as the underlying cause of death. The actor was cremated on October 23. Riehle appeared in more than 400 projects during his five-decade-long Hollywood career, including Free Willy, Casino, Fried Green Tomatoes, Wedding Crashers, Bridesmaids and the Air Bud franchise. Riehle played Tom Smykowski, a cynical product manager, in the 1999 film Office Space, starring alongside Jennifer Aniston. His character in the film became a cult hero after inventing the infamous ‘Jump to Conclusions’ mat before getting laid off, surviving a freak car accident, and collecting a massive settlement. “Our industry has lost an exceptional talent, and our community has lost a truly wonderful man,” Wright Entertainment said in a statement earlier this month.

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