Two months after Jayne Trcka was found dead in her San Diego, California, home, a cause of death has been released for the actress and fitness personality.
According to a newly released report from the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office, Trcka died of “hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.” Her condition was complicated by a “left femoral fracture.”
The medical examiner ruled the manner of Trcka’s death on Dec. 12 at age 62 an accident.
Hypertensive heart disease is a condition in which the heart accumulates damage due to long-term, unmanaged high blood pressure (aka hypertension), according to Cleveland Clinic. If not treated, the disease can put strain on the heart by thickening the heart muscle, as well as lead to heart failure.
Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is caused by “plaque buildup in arterial walls,” per the American Heart Association and includes various conditions such as myocardial infarction (heart attack), angina (chest pain), ischemic stroke and abdominal aortic aneurysm.
Meanwhile, a femoral fracture is a break in the femur, or thigh bone, and is usually the result of high-impact trauma, such as a car crash.
Aside from the primary cause of death, “chronic ethanol use” was listed as a contributing condition in Trcka’s death. Ethanol, also known as grain alcohol, is the active ingredient in alcoholic beverages.
Trcka’s son revealed the actress’s death to TMZ in an article published Jan 5. He told the outlet that he was not aware of any previous medical conditions Trcka may have had.
According to the medical examiner, a few days before Trcka died, the actress’s friend called her several times but received no response. Trcka’s friend later visited her home to check on her and discovered her unresponsive in the kitchen.
Jayne Trcka goes from bodybuilder extraordinaire to dark comedy darling
Trcka grew up in Minnesota, excelling in gymnastics, according to her IMDb biography. After a brief stint in graphic communications, she moved to San Diego in the mid-1980s and took up weight training. Quickly turning from hobby to profession, Trcka placed at the top of local bodybuilding contests and continued competing at the national level for decades.
Trcka landed what would become her signature role as Miss Mann in 2000’s “Scary Movie,” a cult classic comedy parodying the horror genre, which spawned several sequels.
Miss Mann, the girls’ gym teacher in the film, never gets a first name, but plays an integral role, delivering a pep talk that deeply disturbs main character, Cindy Campbell (Anna Faris). During the talk, Cindy catches Miss Mann sniffing women’s underwear, then stuffing it back into her desk.
Trcka’s success in the role led to other jobs in the industry, including a guest spot on “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” and an appearance in Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” music video in 2010.