US Soccer reporter Grand Wahl sadly died on Friday (December 9) while covering the World Cup in Qatar, and his wife has revealed his cause of death.
Wahl, 48, collapsed at the World Cup in Qatar while covering the Argentina and Netherlands quarter-final game after stating that he felt unwell in the press area, per CNN.
He received immediate treatment on-site before being taken to Hamad General Hospital but sadly died a short time later.
The cause of Wahl's death had not yet been revealed, but his brother had speculated about "foul play" after the journalist wasn't allowed into a stadium for wearing a Pride t-shirt.
His brother Eric Wahl made the claims on social media that his brother had been killed due to his defiance of Qatar's beliefs surrounding homosexuality, but he has since apologized for his statements while talking to the New York Post.
He stated that he made the claims while in a state of shock, and went on to say: "I’m especially sorry to any people in the Muslim world that I offended. It was never my intention."
His wife - Dr. Céline Gounder - has now revealed the cause of Wahl's death. Speaking to CBS News, Gounder revealed that her husband died from an "aortic aneurysm that ruptured."
She told the outlet: "He had an autopsy done here in New York by the New York City medical examiner's office," and this is what revealed the cause of death.
Per the Mayo Clinic, an aortic aneurysm is an enlargement of the aorta, the major blood vessel that supplies blood to the body, which runs from the heart through the center of the chest and abdomen.
As it is the largest blood vessel in the body, a ruptured aortic aneurysm can cause life-threatening bleeding. They can be difficult to detect as aortic aneurysms often grow slowly over time and without noticeable symptoms.
Gounder further explained her husband's untimely death on his Substack page, writing: "Grant 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. 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."
Gounder went on to reveal the series of events that took place on the night of her husband's death. She was finishing a work call when she began noticing phone calls and messages from Wahl's colleagues.
"I got off the call and called Gabriel [Wahl's friend who was in Qatar], and he told me he had seen what had happened at the stadium, that Grant had collapsed," she explained as reported by the Daily Mail.
"If he had a pulse when he left the stadium, that would have been a good sign. No one would answer the question. I was scared."
Gounder went to Qatar to identify her husband's body before they both returned home.
Our thoughts are with Dr. Gounder, and all of Wahl's family and friends at this time.