Maximillia Connelly Lord was an award-winning actress who had a successful career in theater, film and television. She was the daughter of Roy Scheider, the legendary actor who starred in Jaws, The French Connection and All That Jazz. Maximillia inherited some of her father’s talent and passion for acting, and was praised by critics and audiences alike for her performances. However, her life was cut short by a devastating disease that claimed her life at the age of 43. Here is the story of Maximillia Scheider’s cause of death and how she fought bravely against leukemia.
Early Life and Career
Maximillia Connelly Lord was born on July 6, 1963, to Roy Scheider and his first wife, Cynthia Bebout. She was their only child together, as they divorced in 1986. Maximillia grew up in a family of artists, as her father was a renowned actor and her mother was a writer. She also had a half-brother, Christian Scheider, and a half-sister, Molly Mae Scheider, from her father’s second marriage to actress Brenda Siemer.
Maximillia followed in her father’s footsteps and pursued a career in acting. She studied at the Juilliard School and the Actors Studio, and made her Broadway debut in 1984 in The Real Thing. She went on to star in several plays and musicals, such as The Heidi Chronicles, The Secret Garden, Les Miserables and The Phantom of the Opera. She won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role as Christine Daae in The Phantom of the Opera in 1988.
Maximillia also appeared in several films and television shows, such as The Bonfire of the Vanities, Law & Order, ER and Frasier. She was known for her versatility and range as an actress, as she could play both dramatic and comedic roles with ease. She also had a beautiful singing voice that enchanted audiences.
Diagnosis and Treatment
In 2005, Maximillia was diagnosed with leukemia, a type of cancer that affects the blood cells. Leukemia can cause symptoms such as fatigue, fever, infections, bleeding and bruising. It can also affect other organs, such as the spleen, liver and lymph nodes. The treatment for leukemia usually involves chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy, as well as bone marrow transplantation.
Maximillia underwent several rounds of chemotherapy and radiation therapy to try to destroy the cancer cells in her body. She also received a bone marrow transplant from an anonymous donor in June 2006. The transplant was supposed to replace her damaged bone marrow with healthy stem cells that could produce new blood cells.
However, the transplant did not work as expected. Maximillia suffered from complications such as graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), which occurs when the donor’s immune cells attack the recipient’s tissues. She also developed a staph infection that spread throughout her body.
Death and Legacy
Maximillia Connelly Lord died on August 2, 2006, at the age of 43. She passed away at a hospital in New York City, surrounded by her family and friends. Her father, Roy Scheider, was devastated by her death and said that she was his “best friend”. He also thanked the anonymous donor who gave his daughter a chance to live longer.
Maximillia Connelly Lord was cremated and her ashes were scattered in the Atlantic Ocean. She left behind a legacy of artistic excellence and courage. She was remembered by her colleagues and fans as a talented and versatile actress who could light up any stage or screen with her presence. She was also admired for her strength and grace in facing her illness.
According to IMDb, Maximillia Connelly Lord was predeceased by her father, John Connelly, who participated in protests against the Vietnam and Iraq wars and for environmental issues on Long Island. Her father Roy Scheider died two years later on February 10, 2008, of complications from a staph infection at a hospital in Little Rock, Arkansas. He had been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of cancer that starts in the plasma cells, in 2004. He was survived by his wife Brenda Siemer and his children Christian Scheider and Molly Mae Scheider.
