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Wahl, the Princeton University grad who died in his seat while covering the World Cup in Qatar, suffered an aortic aneurysm, his wife, Celine Grounder, said on “CBS Mornings."
“It’s just one of those things that had been likely brewing for years,” she said.
Wahl was covering the Argentina quarterfinal win over the Netherlands when he collapsed, falling back in his seat on Friday, Dec. 9, US reporters said. He was rushed to a local hospital, and died.
Wahl — covering his eighth World Cup series — on his website wrote earlier in the week that his "body finally broke down" on him, and that he was on antibiotics for bronchitis.
He also was detained late last month for wearing an LGBTQIA+ rights shirt to the US World Cup opener against Wales, as gay and lesbian sex is criminalized in Qatar. He was held for 25 minutes before being let go by a top security official, he wrote at the time.
Wahl covered the Princeton Tigers soccer team while at Princeton, and went on to work for Sports Illustrated upon graduation in 1996 through 2021. He spent time at Fox Sports from 2012 to 2019, and launched his own website last year.
He is survived by his wife, Dr. Celine Gounder.
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