Scooby-Doo actress Heather North's cause of death revealed as heart attack brought on by respiratory disease after she passed away at 71

  • The California native began voicing the character of Daphne in 1970
  • She went on to work on spin-offs and movies like Scooby-Doo Goes Hollywood
  • The star also worked in front of the camera on TV shows such as Adam-12
  • Her biggest film role was opposite Kurt Russell in 1971's The Barefoot Executive

By Heidi Parker For Dailymail.com

Published: 19:27 GMT, 21 December 2017 | Updated: 19:27 GMT, 21 December 2017

Actress Heather North's cause of death has been revealed as a 'heart attack brought on by respiratory disease'.

The star - who found fame as the voice of Daphne in the Scooby-Doo cartoons - passed away at her home in the Studio City area of Los Angeles on November 30 at the age of 71 after losing a long battle with illness.

North official cause of death is listed as 'cardiopulmonary arrest with an underlying cause of constrictive bronchiolitis', in a death certificate obtained by TMZ.

 Actress Heather North's cause of death has been revealed as a 'heart attack brought on by respiratory disease' (pictured in 1972)

 Actress Heather North's cause of death has been revealed as a 'heart attack brought on by respiratory disease' (pictured in 1972)

The actress also had a very low level of oxygen in her blood when she died. 

North voiced the danger-prone sleuth in the Hanna-Barbera series solidly between 1970 and 1986, before returning to the role over the years. 

North Hollywood's First Christian Church, which will hold a memorial service for the actress, confirmed her death earlier this week.  

North also starred on the TV shows Love American Style, Adam-12 and Days Of Our Lives.

She was also known for starring alongside Kurt Russell in Disney's The Barefoot Executive. 

The star - who found fame as the voice of Daphne in the Scooby-Doo cartoons - passed away at her home in the Studio City area of Los Angeles on November 30 at the age of 71

The star - who found fame as the voice of Daphne in the Scooby-Doo cartoons - passed away at her home in the Studio City area of Los Angeles on November 30 at the age of 71

The star first voiced Daphne in 1970 during the second season of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You, having replaced Stefanianna Christopherson.   

In 1972 and 1973 she worked on The New Scooby-Doo Movies.

North continued to voice Daphne through the many spin-offs and specials, like Scooby-Doo Goes Hollywood in 1979 and The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries in 1984.

Her last Scooby-Doo job was in 2003 with Scooby-Doo And The Monster Of Mexico.

Also on the cult show was Casey Kasem as Shaggy, Nicole Jaffe as Velma, Don Messick as Scooby-Doo and Frank Welker as Fred. 

North also starred in several movies. 

In 1965, she played Elaine in the family drama Git! and two years later she had a role in The Fugitive.

The actress voiced the danger-prone sleuth in the Hanna-Barbera series solidly between 1970 and 1986, before returning to the role over the years

The actress voiced the danger-prone sleuth in the Hanna-Barbera series solidly between 1970 and 1986, before returning to the role over the years

The beauty was married to H Wesley Kenney, who died in January 2015. He was a Emmy winning soap opera director

The beauty was married to H Wesley Kenney, who died in January 2015. He was a Emmy winning soap opera director

North didn't venture far from Hollywood, having been born in December 13, 1945 in Pasadena, California.

She played Kurt Russell's romantic partner in Disney's 1971 feature The Barefoot Executive.

That film was about a chimpanzee that could tell which TV shows would be a hit and which would not. 

She also stood out in the beach movie Gidget.

North was married to H Wesley Kenney, after the pair met on the set of Days of Our Lives. 

He was an Emmy winning soap opera director who died in January 2015.

The California native played Kurt Russell's romantic partner in Disney's 1971 feature The Barefoot Executive

The California native played Kurt Russell's romantic partner in Disney's 1971 feature The Barefoot Executive

That film was about a chimpanzee that could tell which TV shows would be a hit and which would not

That film was about a chimpanzee that could tell which TV shows would be a hit and which would not

North also starred on the TV shows Love American Style, Adam-12 and Days Of Our Lives.

North also starred on the TV shows Love American Style, Adam-12 and Days Of Our Lives.

She passed away on November 30 surrounded by family, her friend Jodie Mann told The Hollywood Reporter.

She is survived by her son Kevin and daughter-in-law Stephanie, stepdaughter Nina and her husband Brent, stepson Wes and his wife Leslie and granddaughter Jocelyn.

Another stepdaughter, Kara, died just a week ago.

A memorial service is set for 11.30am on Wednesday at First Christian Church in Studio City.

Where are they now? The stars of Scooby-Do 

The broadcast legend Kasey Casem died on June 15, 2014, at age 82 after a long battle with Parkinson's disease and dementia

The broadcast legend Kasey Casem died on June 15, 2014, at age 82 after a long battle with Parkinson's disease and dementia

Casey Kasem as Shaggy     

Although Kasem was an integral part to the Scooby-Doo franchise, he was better known as the longtime host of radio progam American Top 40.

The broadcast legend Kasey Casem died on June 15, 2014, at age 82 after a long battle with Parkinson's disease and dementia.  

Kasem's American Top 40 began on July 4, 1970, in Los Angeles, when the No. 1 song was Three Dog Night's cover of Randy Newman's Mama Told Me Not to Come. 

The show expanded to hundreds of stations, including Armed Forces Radio, and continued in varying forms — and for varying syndicators — into the 21st century. 

He stepped down from American Top 40 in 2004 and retired altogether in 2009, completing his musical journey with Shinedown's Second Chance. 

Nicole Jaffe as Velma   

Nicole Jaffe's relatively short career was almost exclusively focused on voice-over work

Nicole Jaffe's relatively short career was almost exclusively focused on voice-over work

Jaffe's relatively short career was almost exclusively focused on voice-over work.  

But she is best remembered as the voice of the brains of the Scooby-Doo gang Velma Dinkley. 

She played the role from 1969 to 1973, making way for Pat Stevens who starred in M*A*S*H. 

Canadian-born Jaffe married actor and writer Brad David in 1969 only for the pair to divorce a decade later. 

She took his surname but later married for a second time and during her first marriage she turned her back on acting. 

She left Hanna-Barbera Studios in 1973 and a year later returned to Hollywood as an agent for actors at William Morris Agency. 

Some of Jaffe's other movie roles include Betty Smith, the girl who was seductively trying to land.

Don Messick as Scooby-Doo 

Don Messick, perhaps unsurprisingly, was best known for his voice-over of Scooby-Doo. 

He voiced a number characters from the late 1950s into the 1990s. 

As well as the crime-solving dog, he voiced Bamm-Bamm Rubble in the Flinstones and Astro from the Jetsons.   

Don Messick, perhaps unsurprisingly, was best known for his voice-over of Scooby-Doo

Don Messick, perhaps unsurprisingly, was best known for his voice-over of Scooby-Doo

In 1996, Messick suffered a stroke while recording voices. 

He recovered, but died of a second one in 1997.

Frank Welker as Fred

Frank Welker's work as Fred in Scooby-Doo propelled him to voice-acting stardom in Hollywood

Frank Welker's work as Fred in Scooby-Doo propelled him to voice-acting stardom in Hollywood

Welker's work as Fred in Scooby-Doo propelled him to voice-acting stardom in Hollywood. 

His role as the crime-solving gang's cool, calm and collected leader led him to work on more than 90 movies. 

The revenue of films he has participated in have generated over $12billion dollars worldwide. 

His work has put him ahead of Eddie Murphy, Harrison Ford, Tom Hanks and Samuel L. Jackson on that list.

He has been a regular on the Transformers from its inception in 1984 when he played the voice of Megatron. 

In the recent movies, he played Soundwave - loyal lieutenant to Megatron.  

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