Overview
- Emergency medical services responded to a cardiac arrest at Graham’s Washington, D.C., home and he was transported to George Washington University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead after collapsing on Saturday night.
- The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner issued a preliminary finding that Graham’s death was caused by an aortic dissection related to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease and said an autopsy was completed.
- An aortic dissection is a tear in the aorta’s inner layer that can force blood between vessel layers, cutting off organ blood flow or causing a lethal rupture and often requires rapid imaging and emergency surgery to survive.
- The condition most commonly affects men in their 60s and 70s and is strongly linked to chronic high blood pressure, atherosclerotic artery damage and some genetic disorders, with sudden symptoms that can mimic a heart attack or stroke.
- Clinicians note that an untreated Type A dissection’s mortality rises roughly 1–2 percent per hour after onset, underscoring public‑health advice to control blood pressure, avoid smoking and discuss family screening when relatives have vascular disease or unexplained sudden death.