Paltrow dad's cancer: Paltrow says Dad's Cancer Diagnosis Inspire her Healthier Diet. Star Gwyneth Paltrow, the wakeup call to eat healthier came when her late father, director Bruce Paltrow, was diagnosed with cancer 15 years ago. Appearing on the cover of Beach magazine's debut issue, the Iron Man 3 actress spoke of how seeing her own father's health dwindle made her open her eyes. "I began to consider the effects of food when my father was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1998," she told the magazine. "I started to research anti-cancer diets in hopes that he would try to hit it from all angles." Bruce Paltrow died in October 2002 at age 58 due to complications of cancer and pneumonia. But Paltrow, 40, used his health struggle as a catalyst for change -- eliminating dairy and gluten in her diet. "It's about being mindful about what you are putting in," she explained. "Good whole foods are the way we have eat