Mad Max actor Richard Norton’s death was triggered by anti-aging peptide injections, a coroner has found.
An Australian coroner’s findings reportedly show that the death of the action star and stuntman was caused by injections of unapproved peptides, a type of anti-aging treatment that has become increasingly popular.
75-year-old Norton, who appeared in Mad Max: Fury Road and worked as a fight coordinator on major Hollywood productions, died at The Alfred hospital in Melbourne on March 30, 2025.
According to ABC News, his death is believed to be the first in Australia known to have been triggered by the use of unapproved peptides.
Norton worked alongside Chuck Norris and helped train stars like Margot Robbie, Scarlett Johansson, Ben Affleck and Liam Neeson for action scenes in hit movies.
In his findings, released this week, coroner David Ryan said that Norton’s death was “triggered by” his injection of two peptides, CJC-1295 and ipamorelin. The substances are designed to stimulate the body’s natural production of growth hormone and are often promoted for building muscle, losing fat, recovering from injury and slowing the signs of aging.
Neither peptide is approved for medical use by Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration or the US Food and Drug Administration.
According to the coroner’s report, Norton went to his doctor in March 2025 to ask about peptide therapy. The doctor explained that the treatment was still experimental and warned him about the associated risks. Norton had blood tests and a CT scan, and he signed a consent form before the peptides were prescribed.
At first, Norton told his care team that he was feeling good and that the therapy was helping. But two days before his death, he told a nurse at the clinic that he had been injecting double the prescribed dose.
A few hours later, after injecting the peptides again at home, he collapsed. The coroner found that the injection caused a severe allergic reaction, known as anaphylaxis, leading to cardiac arrest. Norton passed away two days later.
The coroner also found that two other health conditions contributed to his death. Norton had asthma and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a disease that causes the heart muscle to thicken.
The case has drawn attention not only in Australia, but in the United States too, where USA Today claims that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is moving to broaden access to certain unapproved peptides.
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