According to the death certificate, the 'Modern Family' star passed away last week from 'cirrhosis of the liver due to alcohol.'
- Oct 23, 2014
AceShowbiz - Elizabeth Pena died from alcohol abuse, her death certificate reveals. The "Modern Family" actress died at the age of 55 on October 16 from "cirrhosis of the liver due to alcohol," the documents say.
According to TMZ, Pena had been suffering from the chronic disease for months. Prior to her death at Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the actress who played Sofia Vergara's mother on the ABC series also suffered acute gastrointestinal bleeding before suffering cardiac arrest.
Besides "Modern Family", Pena's credits included "Rush Hour", "La Bamba", "Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home", "Lone Star" and "The Incredibles". Following her death, many stars took to social media to pay tribute.
"The entire cast and crew are very sad to say goodbye to one of our Modern Family members. RIP to the beautiful & talented #ElizabethPena," Jesse Tyler Ferguson tweeted. "Rest in Peace Elizabeth Pena...you paved the way for so many of us!!" Eva Longoria added. Zoe Saldana, Vergara, Orlando Jones, Debra Messing and Frances Fisher also took part in the pouring tribute.
Pena is survived by her mother, husband Hans Rolla and two children.
