World Cup death: Grant Wahl's wife confirms cause of death

An autopsy was performed after the journalist's body was repatriated to the United States on Monday.

American journalist Grant Wahl did not die under suspicious circumstances, an autopsy has revealed. Following his death in Qatar on Friday last week, his body was repatriated back to the United States on Monday. His wife has now confirmed that an autopsy has finally revealed his real cause of death.

The journalist's wife, Celine Gounder, an infectious disease epidemiologist, made the announcement on Wahl's blog which he previously used to update his followers. "First and foremost, on behalf of myself and our family, I want to express our deepest gratitude for the outpouring of support, love, and sympathy from around the world," she began, before speaking about the results of the autopsy.

"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," she said, perhaps in an attempt to ease the scrutiny over the host country's response to the medical emergency.

It may be remembered that Wahl's colleagues previously complained that there was no defibrillator on site when he collapsed at the stadium's media centre during the match between Argentina and The Netherlands.

Gounder thanked those who helped bring Wahl's body home especially with the sensitive nature of the investigation.

"Grant arrived home Monday, December 12, and this transition was handled with the utmost care and sensitivity. This was an international matter that required coordination from multiple agencies domestically and internationally, and there was full cooperation from everyone involved," she said.

She also confirmed that the autopsy was performed on American soil at the New York City Medical Examiner's Office. To further ease speculations, she also said that despite suffering from respiratory problems in the leadup to his death, Wahl did not contract Covid-19. She also said that his vaccination status played no role in his passing.

Meanwhile, his brother, Eric Wahl, has backed down from earlier allegations that there may have been foul play in the journalist's death especially after he received death threats for wearing a rainbow coloured shirt earlier during the World Cup.