Dec. 14 (UPI) -- Sportswriter Grant Wahl died of an undetected ascending aortic aneurysm while in Qatar last week covering the World Cup, his wife, Celine Gounder, revealed in a Substack post on Wednesday.
The death of Wahl, a senior writer for Sports Illustrated and a soccer analyst for CBS Sports, was reported Friday and his body returned to the United States on Monday.
Gounder said an autopsy was performed by the New York City Medical Examiner's Office and determined Wahl died of the aneurysm with hemopericardium.
"The chest pressure he experienced shortly before his death may have represented the initial symptoms," Gounder said in the blog post. "No amount of CPR or shocks would have saved him. His death was unrelated to COVID. His death was unrelated to vaccination status. There was nothing nefarious about his death."
Related
Gounder expressed gratitude for the sympathy she received around the world at Wahl's passing.
"This continues to be a very difficult and painful time as we grieve a beloved husband, brother, and friend," she said. "It is some comfort to know that so many people Grant reached -- countless colleagues, readers, athletes, coaches, friends and fans -- are grieving alongside us."
She called Wahl "a true renaissance man," who was endlessly curious about the world beyond sports and took a great interest in literature, art, music, food and wine.
"He was equally in his element cooking a quiet dinner of sole Provencal for two, walking his beloved Zizou and Coco through Manhattan, gathering friends for a raucous dinner party, and traipsing across Moldova chasing a story."
Gounder said a memorial for Wahl is in the planning stages and details will be forthcoming.
