How did George Maharis die? Cause of death explored as Route 66 star passes away at 94

Well-known actor George Maharis recently passed away on May 24, 2023, at the age of 94. He was suffering from hepatitis which eventually led to his demise and was at his Beverly Hills-based residence. Maharis gained recognition for his performance as Buz Murdock in the CBS crime drama series, Route 66.

The news of George's death was disclosed by his friend and former manager at Paramount Pictures, Marc Bahan. Marc shared a post on Facebook and wrote:

"George Maharis passed away on Wednesday, May 25. George is well known for his stardom in route 66, stage productions, singing, artist, and above all a great guy who would do anything for anyone. My dear friend, you'll be terribly missed."

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Several others expressed grief on different social media platforms. Journalist for Monroe County Buzz also shared a post on Facebook and wrote:

"Farewell to George Maharis. Best known for "Route 66" with Martin Milner. Got him mixed up a couple of times with George Chakiris, who got an Oscar for "West Side Story." I remember him also on an episode of Rod Serling's "Night Gallery." He was 94. Rest in peace, sir."

He is survived by his siblings, that include a brother and a sister.

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George Maharis was diagnosed with hepatitis while he was working on Route 66

George Maharis contracted hepatitis while he was filming for Route 66 (Image via Disney General Entertainment Content/Getty Images)

George Maharis was mostly known for his work on Route 66. While recalling the experience of working on the show in 2012 during a telephone interview, Maharis spoke about one of the episodes, City of Wheels, which came out in 1962, and described it as one of his favorite episodes.

He added that another episode from the second season, titled Even Stones Have Eyes, was his least favorite for everything that happened after he finished filming for it.

According to the script, he had to rescue a blind woman from a pond and had to dive in for the same. Stating that the temperature of the water was around 40 degrees, he added:

"They couldn't get my clothes on over the wet suit. It was 4 in the morning. It was freezing. My jacket froze on me. They had to pour hot water on me; you can see it in the shot, the steam rising."

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Maharis became ill at the time and after getting a B-12 shot from the doctor, he was diagnosed with hepatitis. He had to be hospitalized for a month and although he returned to the show, he had still not recovered completely.

While he continued to appear in the third season, the working schedule became longer and he had to be in the ocean in the first two episodes. Maharis mentioned:

"We got to where it was the episode with Harry Guardiano in St. Louis. I was feeling terrible. They send me to a doctor and he said, 'Go home. If you don't go home, you'll be dead.' So I went home."

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George Maharis was known for his appearances in films and TV shows

George Maharis enrolled at the Flushing High School and joined the United States Marine Corps where he served for 18 months during his younger years.

He then went to Actors Studio and soon began working on film and television projects.

Although he was known for his work on Route 66, he worked in various other films and TV shows.

He made his acting debut with the NBC anthology series, The Philco Television Playhouse. He worked in various other shows like The Mugger, Alcoa Theatre, Naked City, Exodus, and more.

Following his exit from Route 66, he appeared in some films like A Covenant with Death, The Happening, The Desperados, Murder on Flight 502, and others.

He even released a few albums during the 60s like George Maharis Sings!, Portrait in Music, Just Turn Me Loose!, Make Love to Me, and more.