Editing William Holden (section)

===Death===
According to the Los Angeles County Coroner's autopsy report, Holden bled to death in his apartment in Santa Monica, California, on November 12, 1981, after lacerating his forehead by slipping on a rug while intoxicated and hitting a bedside table. Forensic evidence recovered at the scene suggested that the actor was conscious for at least half an hour after the fall. His body was found four days later.<ref name="AutopsyFiles" /> Rumors circulated that he was suffering from lung cancer, which Holden had denied at a 1980 press conference. His death certificate makes no mention of cancer.<ref name="Bennett">Bennett, Bruce. [http://www.nysun.com/arts/william-holdens-unscripted-fall-from-grace/81095/ "William Holden's Unscripted Fall From Grace"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130923014132/http://www.nysun.com/arts/william-holdens-unscripted-fall-from-grace/81095 |date=September 23, 2013 }}, ''[[The New York Sun]]'', July 2, 2008.</ref><ref name="AutopsyFiles">[http://www.autopsyfiles.org/reports/deathcert/holden,%20william_dc.pdf Death Certificate of William Holden], autopsyfiles.org; accessed September 28, 2016.</ref> He dictated in his will that the [[Neptune Society]] cremate him and scatter his ashes in the Pacific Ocean. In accordance with his wishes, no funeral, or memorial service, was held.<ref>Capua 2010, p. 164</ref>

President Ronald Reagan released a statement: "I have a great feeling of grief. We were close friends for many years. What do you say about a longtime friend – a sense of personal loss, a fine man. Our friendship never waned."<ref name=obit>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/11/17/obituaries/william-holden-dead-at-63-won-oscar-for-stalag-17.html| title=William Holden Dead at 63; Won Oscar for 'Stalag 17'| last=Charlton| first=Linda| date=November 17, 1981| work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

For his contribution to the film industry, Holden has a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] located at 1651 Vine Street.<ref>[http://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/william-holden "Hollywood Star Walk: William Holden"], ''Los Angeles Times'', March 26, 2013.</ref> He also has a star on the [[St. Louis Walk of Fame]].<ref>[http://www.stlouiswalkoffame.org/inductees/?view=achievement "St. Louis Walk of Fame Inductees"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121031162946/http://www.stlouiswalkoffame.org/inductees/?view=achievement |date=October 31, 2012 }}, ''St. Louis Walk of Fame''; retrieved January 24, 2015.</ref>

His death was noted by singer-songwriter [[Suzanne Vega]], whose 1987 song "[[Tom's Diner]]" evokes a sequence of events one morning in 1981. The song includes a mention of reading a newspaper article about "an actor who had died while he was drinking". Vega later confirmed that this is a reference to Holden.<ref name="Vega">[[Suzanne Vega]], [http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com//2008/09/23/toms-essay ''Tom's Essay''], ''The New York Times'', September 23, 2008; retrieved September 27, 2016.</ref>