Saw this on FB.

He reunited with Ron Howard years later for the movie Willow and played the memorable gang leader in Death Wish 3. He was 70.

My first thought was "70 is a bit old to be playing a gang leader. Then I realised it was an obituary.

I read it the same way you did. Ambiguous it is.

Yep. Me too.

I can understand how something like this happens.
When I write, I am focused on what I'm thinking and not how it is coming across. That's why editors are so important.