Sudden Deaths
Hypertrophiccardiomyopathy is commonly assumed to have killed Hank Gathers, the 6'7"Loyola Marymount forward, and Reggie Lewis, the Boston Celtics' star swingman.But their deaths—as well as those of several other prominent athletes—werecaused by different kinds of heart failure.
FLO HYMAN, diedin 1986 at age 31 (Marfan syndrome)
Most often seen in tall, lanky individuals such as the 6'5" Hyman, avolleyball silver medalist at the 1984 Olympics, Marfan syndrome is acongenital disease that weakens the body's connective tissues. Affecting one in5,000 people, it is often characterized by cardiovascular abnormalities—such asHyman's weakened aorta, which ruptured during a Japanese-league match.
PETE MARAVICH,died in 1988 at age 40 (coronary artery anomaly)
Most people have two arteries that bring blood to the heart, but Maravich'sautopsy showed that he was born with only one. While Pistol Pete, the 1976--77NBA scoring leader, was playing a pickup game, he suffered a heart attack.
HANK GATHERS,died in 1990 at age 23 (heart arrhythmia, cause unknown)
After passing out during a December '89 game, the NCAA's reigning scoring andrebounding champion was found to have occasional ventricular tachycardia, apotentially lethal heart rhythm that starts in the ventricles. Doctorsprescribed a beta-blocker to control the arrhythmia, but the dosage was reducedafter Gathers felt sluggish. He dropped dead during a game the followingMarch.
REGGIE LEWIS,died in 1993 at age 27 (myocarditis)
He collapsed during an April '93 playoff game and died while shooting basketsthree months later of an inflammation of the heart typically caused by a virusthat damages the organ's muscle cells.
SERGEI GRINKOV,died in 1995 at age 28 (coronary atherosclerosis and high blood pressure)
Atherosclerosis refers to the narrowing and hardening of the arteries. TheRussian Olympics pairs figure skating champion in 1988 and '94 had a heartattack while practicing with Ekaterina Gordeeva, his wife and skating partner,in Lake Placid, N.Y. An autopsy found that two of Grinkov's coronary arterieswere almost totally blocked.
DARRYL KILE, diedin 2002 at age 33 (coronary atherosclerosis)
The St. Louis Cardinals' pitcher was found dead in a Chicago hotel room,atherosclerosis having impeded the blood supply to the heart.
GEORGE BOIARDI,died in 2004 at age 22 (possible commotio cordis)
Translated from Latin as a "commotion of the heart," commotio cordis isa sudden disturbance in heart rhythm caused by a blunt impact; Boiardi, asenior lacrosse player at Cornell, was struck in the chest by a ball during agame.
CHAD SCHIEBER,died in 2007 at age 35 (mitral valve prolapse)
A condition in which one of the heart valves does not close correctly, mitralvalve prolapse affects more than 2% of adults but rarely leads tocomplications. The backflow of blood can cause the heart to work too hard; it'snot known if that's what killed Schieber, who died during the Oct. 7 ChicagoMarathon.
PHOTO
RONALD C. MODRA (HYMAN)
PHOTO
TOM GANNAM/AP (KILE)