Because of his severe rheumatoid arthritis, Coburn appeared in very few films during the 1980s, yet he continued working until his death in 2002. This disease had left Coburn's body deformed and in pain. "You start to turn to stone," he told ABC News in an April 1999 interview. "See, my hand is twisted now because tendons have shortened." For 20 years, he tried a host of both conventional and unconventional treatments, but none of them worked. "There was so much pain that...every time I stood up, I would break into a sweat," he recalled. Then, at the age of 68, Coburn tried something called MSM, methylsulfonylmethane, a sulfur compound available at most health food stores. The result, he said, was nothing short of miraculous. "You take this stuff and it starts right away," said Coburn. "Everyone I've given it to has had a positive response." Though the MSM did not cure Coburn's arthritis, it did relieve his pain, allowing him to move more freely and resume his career.
Coburn died of a heart attack at the age of 74 on November 18, 2002 while listening to music at his Beverly Hills home. Less than two years later, Paula died of cancer on July 30, 2004, at age 48.