TMZ: Sherman Hemsley Died of Lung Cancer

The celebrity gossip site TMZ, citing the El Paso County Medical Examiner, reports that the official cause of death for "Jeffersons" star and El Paso resident Sherman Hemsley was the result of   a cancerous mass on his lung .

The  Postmortem Report obtained by TMZ listed the cause of Mr. Hemsley's death as "superior vena cava syndrome," or a complication resulting from the direct obstruction of the lung -- usually from a cancerous tumor. It's not known if he was a smoker.

Hemsley, affectionatly known by many as "Mr. Jefferson", was found dead last month in his east side El Paso home at the age of 74. No public funeral services were ever announced.

A copy of the post-mortem can be viewed HERE