NASCAR legend Kyle Busch died on May 21 at 41 years old.
His death was caused by bacterial pneumonia that turned into sepsis, according to a statement from his family and his death certificate, which was first obtained by US Weekly. The Las Vegas native had been battling pneumonia for “days to weeks” before he succumbed to the illness at 4:37 p.m. ET on May 21. His death was listed as natural causes.
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The death certificate also said that Busch was cremated in Mooresville, North Carolina.
The sepsis set in roughly one day before Busch’s death. The sepsis triggered disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), which is abnormal clotting throughout blood vessels that cuts off flow to organs. That was followed by hemorrhagic shock caused by severe bleeding. The DIC and hemorrhagic shock lasted for hours.
Dr. Ryan Maves, chief of critical care medicine at Wake Forest University and an infectious disease physician, told USA TODAY that for Busch, a 41-year-old athlete, to die from pneumonia was, “very, very unusual.”
Kyle Busch 911 call and previous signs of illness
The day before he died, Busch was coughing up blood at a General Motors facility in Concord, North Carolina, and someone called 911. The Associated Press reported that Busch was testing in the Chevrolet racing simulator when he went unconscious. The caller said that he was awake on a bathroom floor, short of breath and was hot to the touch.
On May 10, while racing at Watkins Glen, he was battling a sinus cold and requested on the team radio to meet with a doctor after the competition.
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Busch’s family and NASCAR announced the news of his death shortly after his passing. They initially said he died from a “severe illness,” which he had been hospitalized for.
He leaves behind his wife, Samantha, and their two kids, 11-year-old son Brexton and 4-year-old daughter Lennix.
Tributes poured in from across social media to mourn Busch’s death. Fellow drivers, the teams he raced for and even his former rival, Dale Earnhardt Jr., reflected on the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion’s legacy.
Contributing: Kristie Ackert
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Inside Kyle Busch death certificate: Cause of death, key details
