November 24, 1995
From Rossijskaya Gazeta (Russia):
DEATH SELECTS THE BEST AND TAKES THEM ONE BY ONE
by Oksana Tonkacheva
translated by Olya Smolyanova
Seryozha Grinkov died on the ice. In front of Katia Gordeeva, his wife and partner. During a practice session, he fell after doing a lift and... Death, as confirmed by American specialists after an autopsy, came from a broad heart attack which was caused by a defective gene. His coronary artery which feeds the hearth muscle was practically blocked, and the heart was enlarged because of high blood pressure. The doctor who tried to revive Sergei for an hour, Dr. Francis Varga, also announced that during the last 24 hours of Sergei's life, he suffered a mild heart attack.
During the last three years, Sergei and Katia lived in America with their little daughter Dasha, competing in professional championships and performing in ice shows. Next February, when Sergei would have been only 29, they were planning to come to St. Petersburg to participate in the competition commemorating the first World Championship. I am writing this while my mind can't accept the words... Never before has an article seemed so cruel, so senseless... The funeral is tomorrow at the Vagankovskoye cemetery. Good'bye, Sergei. Be strong, Katia.
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