Coroner Links Actor Richard Norton's Death to Peptide Overdose

A coroner in the Australian state of Victoria has concluded that peptide injections triggered the heart attack that killed actor and martial artist Richard Norton, 75, on March 30, 2025, according to a report filed Wednesday in the Coroners Court of Victoria and reported by NBC News. Norton appeared opposite Chuck Norris and Jackie Chan on screen and later trained Hollywood actors including Ben Affleck, Tom Hardy, Scarlett Johansson and Margot Robbie.

What did the coroner conclude?

Melbourne-based coroner David Ryan wrote that Norton's death "was triggered by his injection" of the peptides CJC-1295 and Ipamorelin, NBC News reported, citing the coroner's report.

"Richard had been taking amounts of the medication in excess of the dose prescribed by his medical practitioner," the coroner's report states, according to NBC News.

What dosage had Norton been taking?

Two days before he died, Norton told his doctor's nurse he had been administering double the prescribed dose of CJC-1295 and Ipamorelin, the report states. The nurse told him to return to the prescribed amount starting the following week, according to the filing cited by NBC News.

Key figures from the coroner's filing:

• Norton was 75 when he died on March 30, 2025.
• He had been injecting roughly double his prescribed peptide dose in the days before his death.
• He had seen Dr. Jerzy Muchnicki about peptide therapy on March 11, 2025, and again on March 25, when he reported feeling better.

What are CJC-1295 and Ipamorelin?

The two compounds are peptides — small proteins — that online influencers and others have promoted for faster healing, younger-looking skin, better sleep and longevity, NBC News reported. Norton was recovering from shoulder surgery and told Muchnicki he was interested in peptide therapy after reporting fatigue and pain, the report states. Muchnicki reviewed Norton's medical history, discussed "the experimental nature of the treatment" and the potential risks, and had Norton sign a consent form before prescribing the peptides, according to the filing.

Is this Australia's first peptide-linked death?

Norton's death appears to be the first confirmed fatality in Australia linked to unapproved peptides, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported, according to NBC News's account of the coroner's findings.

What roles made Richard Norton known in Hollywood?

Before his death, Norton built a career spanning decades as a stuntman, fight choreographer and bodyguard, working security for musicians including David Bowie and Stevie Nicks in addition to his on-screen matchups with Norris and Chan, NBC News reported. His later work training A-list actors extended his presence in the industry well past his own screen-fighting years, with Affleck, Hardy, Johansson and Robbie among those he coached.

The coroner's report does not indicate any finding of wrongdoing by Muchnicki, noting that the doctor disclosed the experimental nature of the treatment and the risks involved before Norton consented in writing, according to NBC News's reporting on the filing.