Dennis Farina

[CindyA]

Law & Order Dennis Farina's doctor says the actor died while being treated for lung cancer.

The actor, who died Monday after suffering a blood clot in his lung, had been under treatment for the cancer for several months, according to his cardiologist, Dr. Marc A. Kates.

A 911 call has revealed that the 69-year-old former Chicago police officer - who died at his Scottsdale home in Arizona on Monday - was very ill and required oxygen.

During the emergency call - obtained by TMZ - from his house on Saturday morning a woman is heard saying 'I have a cancer patient here' before telling the operator 'we need oxygen'.

Thirteen years ago Farina had been diagnosed with 'a small cancer that was treated and cured with surgery,' Kates said in a statement on Tuesday.

But in recent months the cancer had recurred and, despite ongoing treatment, the blood clot 'unexpectedly and suddenly took his life,' Kates said

The actor put his craggy face, steel-gray hair, ivory smile and ample mustache to good use in many popular films, including: take, Saving Private Ryan, Midnight Run and Out Of Sight.

He also had memorable roles in Get Shorty and the Cameron Diaz film What Happens In Vegas, showing his flair for comedy.

Farina was perhaps best known for playing Detective Joe Fontana on Law & Order during the 2004-06 seasons, one of many roles in his lengthy television career.

'I was stunned and saddened to hear about Dennis’ unexpected passing this morning,' said Law & Order creator Dick Wolf in a statement on Monday. 'The Law & Order family extends sympathy and condolences to his family. He was a great guy.'

Farina also starred in the 1980s cult favorite Crime Story and was a regular in the 2011-12 HBO drama Luck.

He recently completed shooting a comedy, Lucky Stiff.

Farina was a veteran of the Chicago theater and appeared in Joseph Mantegna's Bleacher Bums and Streamers, directed by Terry Kinney, among other productions.

He was born on Feb. 29, 1944, in Chicago and was a city detective before he found his way into the acting profession as he neared his forties.

His first film was the 1981 action drama Thief, directed by Michael Mann, whom he had met through a mutual friend while still working for the Chicago Police Department.

'I remember going to the set that day and being intrigued by the whole thing,' Farina recalled in a 2004 interview. 'I liked it. And everybody was extremely nice to me. If the people were rude and didn't treat me right, things could have gone the other way.'

Farina is survived by three sons, six grandchildren and his longtime partner, Marianne Cahill.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/ar ... th-69.html