A doctor-prescribed peptide stack intended to restore youth and vitality led to the sudden death of one of Hollywood’s most trusted action performers.
Richard Norton, a veteran Australian actor, stuntman and fight coordinator who worked with A-list stars, died at 75 in Melbourne on March 30, 2025 after suffering a cardiac arrest following injections of the trendy substances, according to the Daily Mail.
His death marks what officials believe is the first death of its kind in the country.
A coroner’s report released Wednesday reportedly attributed his death to complications involving the unapproved peptide products.
Although a physician prescribed the anti-aging cocktail, coroner David Ryan noted that Norton had taken “amounts of the medication in excess of the dose prescribed.”
The physical powerhouse built a decadeslong career alongside action stars such as Chuck Norris and trained Hollywood heavyweights including Scarlett Johansson, Margot Robbie, Ben Affleck, Liam Neeson and Tom Hardy. He also worked as a bodyguard for music icons like David Bowie.
Having undergone bilateral shoulder reconstruction, Norton sought treatment from his practitioner, Dr. Jerzy Muchnicki, in March 2025 for fatigue, diminished physical recovery, muscle loss and shoulder pain. He told the doctor that another physician had previously prescribed him peptides.
Muchnicki prescribed CJC-1295 and ipamorelin, two unapproved peptides that work together to stimulate the body’s natural production of growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor 1.
The combination is marketed by some users and clinics as a way to promote muscle growth, support fat loss, speed recovery after intense exercise or injury, enhance sleep, boost collagen production, counter age-related declines and improve overall energy.
However, evidence supporting these purported claims remains limited, as large-scale, long-term human studies establishing their safety are lacking, leaving significant questions about their potential dangers unanswered.
“Dr. Muchnicki discussed in detail what was involved with peptide therapy, including the experimental nature of the treatment,” Ryan reportedly wrote in his findings.
He also noted that Norton underwent blood tests to establish baseline health parameters and check for any underlying conditions or potential contraindications that could affect treatment decisions.
“They also discussed the potential risks and the lack of other alternative treatment options currently approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration,” he wrote.
The stack carries potentially serious and life-threatening risks, including concerns about abnormal cellular growth and cancer and cardiovascular complications.
Neither CJC-1295 nor ipamorelin is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration for medical treatments.
Norton reportedly signed a consent form outlining the treatment’s potential benefits and risks, including anaphylaxis. He received a prescription for injectable CJC-1295 and ipamorelin on March 19, according to the Guardian.
In the days before his death, the actor reportedly told his care team that he was feeling good and that the peptide therapy was improving his symptoms. But on March 28, he revealed to a nurse that he had been taking twice the prescribed dose.
Hours after speaking with the nurse, Norton injected the peptides and began feeling hot and flushed before becoming unresponsive.
He was brought to the hospital, where he died.
Muchnicki faced scrutiny from the Medical Board of Australia over his use of unproven peptides and deficient patient records, reported the Guardian. Retraining in clinical record-keeping was mandated instead of formal regulatory action.
Ryan has called on the TGA to review the substances’ purported therapeutic benefits and safety risks, demanding tighter restrictions on their use.
“I am not satisfied that it is appropriate for them to be available to be prescribed by medical practitioners,” the coroner said in his findings, according to outlet.
Instead, he insisted that the peptides be restricted to clinical trials and other experimental use.
“It is not clear to me how their safe use can be clinically indicated given the acknowledged uncertainties as to their therapeutic benefit and their risks (as yet not fully known) to the safety of patients.”
