The actress and wife of Warwick Davis, Samantha Davis, died as a result of a cardiac arrest following complications of essential surgery, an inquest has concluded.
Ms Davis, who was also an actress, died aged 53 at University College Hospital in London on March 24 last year.
Senior Coroner for Inner West London, Professor Fiona Wilcox, said: ‘I am satisfied that the medical cause of death should be arrhythmic cardiac arrest and complications following left thoracotomies.
‘In my view, the stress of everything together has precipitated this arrhythmic cardiac arrest in a lady who was not known to have any previous arrhythmia problems.’
Prof Wilcox added: ‘I have found nothing but excellent care being delivered to this lady and all of her complications were appropriately managed.
‘It is frankly heartbreaking that the surgery itself was successful only for complications to arise and to cause her death.’
The actress and wife of Warwick Davis , Samantha Davis, died in March last year as a result of a cardiac arrest following complications of essential surgery, an inquest has concluded
Warwick Davis and wife Samantha at the Children’s BAFTA Awards in November 2011
Mr Davis dedicated his Bafta film fellowship award to his late wife during an emotional tribute at the ceremony in February.
The couple met during the filming of 1988 fantasy movie Willow, in which he had a starring role as the hero Willow Ufgood. They married in 1991 and have two children.
The family have instructed lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to support them through the inquest.
In a statement released through their solicitors ahead of the hearing, the family said: ‘We know that the resilience and strength Sammy instilled in all of us will guide us through this difficult next chapter.
‘Her love, support, and determination is a legacy we want to continue. Sammy’s Helping Hands fund, which was set up in her honour, has already had a huge impact on young people in the dwarfism community, and will continue to support families all over the UK moving forwards.
‘The last year and trying to come to terms with Samantha’s death has been incredibly difficult.
‘However, we hope that the inquest will at last provide us with answers.
‘We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their kindness and well-wishes to us all.’
Warwick and Samantha Davis with their children Harrison and Annabelle at the premiere of Star Wars: The Last Jedi in California in 2017
Warwick Davis and his wife Samantha on their wedding day in 1991. They were married for more than three decades
In February, Davis dedicated his Bafta film fellowship award to his late wife with an emotional tribute.
He said ‘life has been pretty tough’ since she died, and ‘she was always so supportive of my career, encouraging me to grab every opportunity with both hands’.
He added: ‘Thanks to the support of our wonderful children I’ve been able to continue working and engaging in life.’
Warwick Davis rose to fame as an 11-year old after being cast as an Ewok in Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi.
He reprised the role Willow Ufgood in a 2022 Disney+ series.
Together with Samantha, he co-founded Little People UK in 2012 to help individuals with dwarfism and their families.
The pair also starred together in Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2, where Samantha played a goblin.
He played Professor Flitwick in all eight films in the Harry Potter franchise and also portrayed the Gringotts Wizarding Bank goblin Griphook.