Grant Wahl‘s wife, Dr. Celine Gounder, told CBS News on Wednesday the renowned soccer journalist died due to an aortic aneurysm that ruptured. “He had an autopsy done here in New York by the New York City medical examiner’s office, and it showed that he had an aortic aneurysm that ruptured,” said Gounder, an infectious disease specialist and CBS News contributor.
Grant Wahl’s wife, Dr. @celinegounder, reveals that the renowned journalist died due to an aortic aneurysm that ruptured at the World Cup.
Gounder says she hopes he is remembered as a “kind, generous person who was really dedicated to social justice.” pic.twitter.com/aaVkb2dhrb — CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) December 14, 2022
Wahl died on Friday at the age of 49 while in Qatar covering the World Cup. His agent, Tim Scanlan, had said the journalist “appeared to have suffered some sort of acute distress in the press room” of the stadium during the quarterfinal match between Argentina and the Netherlands, when the two teams began playing in extra time. Paramedics were called to the scene, Scanlan said, but were unable to revive him. Qatari officials said in a statement that Wahl “received immediate medical treatment on site, which continued as he was transferred by ambulance to Hamad General Hospital.” His body was repatriated to the United States on Monday. Tributes quickly poured in for Wahl, from athletes like LeBron James to Billie Jean King. “I want people to remember him as this kind, generous person who was really dedicated to social justice,” Gounder said. 