Prominent US soccer journalist Grant Wahl died while covering the World Cup in Qatar because of an aortic aneurysm that ruptured, his wife revealed on Tuesday as she explained there was "nothing nefarious about his death."
Wahl's widow, Dr. Céline Gounder, wrote on Wahl's Substack that an autopsy was performed by the New York City Medical Examiner's Office and it showed that Wahl died "from the rupture of a slowly growing, undetected ascending aortic aneurysm with hemopericardium."
"The chest pressure he experienced shortly before his death may have represented the initial symptoms," wrote Gounder, an infectious disease specialist.
She added, "No amount of CPR or shocks would have saved him. His death was unrelated to COVID. His death was unrelated to vaccination status."
During an interview on "CBS Mornings" on Tuesday, Gouder said: "It's just one of these things that had been likely brewing for years and for whatever reason it happened at this point in time."
Wahl suddenly collapsed while covering the FIFA World Cup quarter-final between Argentina and Netherlands in Qatar last Friday, and died en route to the hospital. He was 48.
Wahl's brother Eric had initially said the death was suspicious, since previously Wahl had been stopped by Qatar authorities for wearing a rainbow-colored shirt to draw attention to human rights issues in the country. But Eric Wahl backtracked on Tuesday after the autopsy was finished.
This story is developing. Please check back for updates.