Beloved TV actor Julian McMahon received a quiet and solitary goodbye after his unexpected passing in Florida, due to a private cancer struggle, as reported by DailyMail.com.

Rather than a traditional funeral, the Nip/Tuck star was discreetly cremated without pomp in Clearwater, the coastal city where he had unexpectedly arrived with his wife Kelly.

Following his passing on July 2 at a local hospital, McMahon’s remains were managed by Eternal Cremation Services in Dunedin, according to documents acquired by DailyMail.com.

A spokesperson for Eternal said it did not handle a funeral for the 56-year-old son of former Australian prime minister Sir William McMahon.

When asked if there was any funeral, anywhere, for him, the spokesman replied emphatically: ‘There was not.’ 

And he could not confirm if McMahon’s third-wife Kelly, 47, attended the cremation at Palm State Crematory.

The absence of a formal send-off for the beloved actor – known to millions as Dr. Christian Troy on Nip/Tuck and Cole Turner on Charmed – is only fueling speculation about the mysterious final months of his life

His apparent move from California to Clearwater has already sparked frenzied online chatter because the Church of Scientology has its global headquarters there.

The controversial and secretive religion has a host of celebrity followers, most famously Hollywood’s Tom Cruise and John Travolta, and attracts showbiz types. 

Some 4,000 members live in Clearwater and its giant HQ, called Flag, dominates the downtown area.

McMahon’s successful 36-year career in his native country and in the United States from the early 1990s makes the lack of entertainment industry pals marking their respects even more puzzling.

And while his father Sir William and mother Sonia have long passed away, his sisters Melinda, 58, and Debbie, 52, were reported to be devastated by his death at their homes in Australia.

The actor died from lung metastasis – where cancer that started elsewhere in the body spreads to that organ – according to the Pinellas County cremation approval report obtained by DailyMail.com.

It added this was a consequence of head and neck metastatic cancer. However, it did not reveal the type of cancer McMahon was originally battling.

McMahon died as an inpatient at the Morton Plant Hospital, according to his death certificate. There will be no autopsy report, the medical examiner’s office told us.

Adding to the Clearwater connection mystery, the ‘residence’ address on the death is listed as a place in Ventura Boulevard, Encino, California. However, this is a building housing a showbiz accountancy firm and two other businesses.

His occupation was given as ‘producer/entertainment’ and it revealed he had ‘some college credit, but no degree’.

The actor, previously wed to Australian singer Dannii Minogue and Baywatch star Brooke Burns, is not known to have had any connection with Clearwater before his death was revealed.

He and former model Kelly previously had a stunning three-bedroom, four-bathroom pool home directly under the Hollywood sign which sold for $2.16million in 2015 and is now worth an estimated $3.4million.

They’re last known place in California is an equally beautiful spread in Somis, California, which the couple sold in August 2023 for $2.825million, according to records.

The three-bedroom hacienda-style pool home sits on 15.5 acres in the heart of Ventura County’s avocado region. The sales literature at the time said there would be farming income from 4.5 acres of Haas avocados and 10 acres of lemons.

And possibly in a hint of the couple wanting a completely new lifestyle, it was advertised as being available furnished.

Despite their ‘out of the blue’ appearance in Florida, there do not appear to be any property records linking them to the Clearwater area.

When the city’s connection to his death was revealed, the internet rumor mill went into overdrive.

‘I live in Clearwater… close to a house John Travolta owner, because we’re about a mile from the Scientology center in downtown Clearwater,’ one local wrote on Instagram.

‘I was wondering if Julian McMahon was a Scientologist since (Kelly’s statement) said he died in Clearwater, because why else would he live the last few months of his life there? The only celebrities that do are usually Scientologists. Surprised, that’s for certain!’

Another person posed the question on X: ‘Why was Julian McMahon in Clearwater when he died? Like, that’s Scientology city.’

Scientologists believe humans are ‘immortal spiritual beings’ called Thetans, who have many lives and possess unlimited potential through reincarnation. Scientologists are commonly cremated.

While McMahon bravely continued his acting career, Kelly has been running a website called Super Spiritual Girl, describing herself as a ‘spiritual concierge’ on her Instagram.

Her site says: ‘We believe in spreading light and the power of collective consciousness. We welcome all souls on a path to healing, wellness and truth. Kindness, authenticity, integrity and honesty are our core values.’

As creator and founder, she is described as having practiced and trained ‘a wide range of spiritual modalities for the last 15 years’ and is a ‘shamanic healer’.

Despite the fevered theories, Scientology expert and writer Tony Ortega damped down the speculation about the TV star. He told DailyMail.com: ‘I haven’t seen any evidence that McMahon was a Scientologist.

‘Scientology dominates a small downtown part of Clearwater. But most people there don’t do near it. Many people are drawn there to the beach, which has nothing to do with Scientology.’

The religion and affiliated companies owns roughly 185 properties in the downtown area, which frequently has an eerie sense of quiet.

Church figurehead and Hollywood megastar Cruise, 63, has a penthouse apartment at the Flag building where he reportedly has a private elevator that whisks him from parking lot to his living area.

Travolta’s wife Kelly Preston died after a breast cancer battle in 2020. Two years later Cheers actress and Scientologist Kirstie Alley died from colon cancer at the Clearwater mansion she bought from the late Lisa Marie Presley – who was also a follower of the religion.

News of McMahon’s death stunned his fans who had no idea he was secretly battling cancer.

Kelly, who wed the star in at a Lake Tahoe ceremony in 2014, revealed in a statement: ‘With an open heart, I wish to share to the world that my beloved husband, Julian McMahon died peacefully this week after a valiant effort to overcome cancer.

‘Julian loved life. He loved his family. He loved his friends. He loved his work, and he loved his fans. His deepest wish was to bring joy to as many lives as possible.

‘We ask for support during this time to allow our family to grieve in privacy. And we wish for all of those to whom Julian brought joy, to continue to find joy in live. We are grateful for the memories.’

There were hindsight hints of the tragedy to come when McMahon was last seen publicly in March at the SXSW premiere of his psychological thriller movie The Surfer alongside co star Nicolas Cage in Texas.

Although no one realized he was ill, the star appeared thinner and more fragile, dressed in a blue blazer that hung loosely.

Cage paid tribute after the news broke, saying: ‘Our scenes together on The Surfer were amongst my favorites I have ever participated in. he was a kind and intelligent man.’