Rush: What Happened To James Hunt? Death Cause Revealed

Rush, a biographical movie was able to depict what happened to James Hunt and how did he die at such an early age.

The biographical sports film depicts the Hunt–Lauda rivalry between two Formula One drivers, British James Hunt and Austrian Niki Lauda. The story revolves around them during the 1976 Formula One season.

The movie was directed by Ron Howard where Chris Hemsworth portrayed Hunt and Daniel Brühl, Lauda. It was written by Peter Morgan and directed by Ron Howard.

The story portrays that the two eventually become friends out of mutual respect. Prior to the accident, James Hunt and Niki Lauda were real-life friends.

Lauda characterized Hunt as an “open, honest to God pal” in his autobiography To Hell and Back. He admired Hunt’s burst of speed, and Hunt admired Lauda’s analytical and rigor.

“Yes, we were friends,” Lauda admits. “Before we met at Formula One [at Formula Three], I knew him. We were always crossing each other’s boundaries.”

“He was a very competitive person who was also very fast. We were similar in many ways. On the circuit, I had a lot of respect for him. He was an excellent driver.” Lauda, who was fluent in English, frequently visited Hunt in the McLaren pit.

It was discovered that James Hunt’s cause of the death was a heart attack. He died of a heart attack in 1993, at the age of 45, at his home in Wimbledon, London, England.

Just hours after proposing to his girlfriend Helen Dyson, who was 18 years his junior, over the phone he experience severe chest pain and collapsed.

Pallbearers at his funeral service included his father, Wallis, his brothers Tim, Peter, and David, as well as his friend Anthony ‘Bubbles’ Horsley.

The coffin was taken out from the church to the hearse, which drove two miles to Putney Vale Crematorium, where he was cremated.

Hunt was not diagnosed with any other illness or life-threatening disease before. His death was unexpected, and it shocked everyone.

James Hunt was married to his first wife Suzy Miller however, he has two kids from his second wife, Sarah Lomax. The formula one driver had amassed a net worth of approximately $40 million at the time of his death in 1993.

As one of the most famous F1 drivers of his era, he made a lot of money from his salary and endorsements. He also made money as a commentator after retiring from racing in 1979.

On October 18, 1974, at the Brompton Oratory in Knightsbridge, he take a sacred vow with Suzy.

In 1974, Hunt met his first wife, Suzy Miller, in Spain and fell in love with her.

He proposed a few weeks after their first meeting. However, Suzy had left Hunt for the actor Richard Burton by the end of 1975. Suzy married Burton 20 days after her divorce from Hunt.

According to sources, Hunt told friends that his engagement to Suzy Miller was a mistake from the start. And that he had no idea what he was doing, but it was too late to back out.

He considers his wife’s affair with Burton as a blessing and a way out of the marriage.

He then married Lomax in Marlborough, Wiltshire, on December 17, 1983. He has two sons, Tom and Freddie together with his wife Lomax.