celebsindepth.com - Many people wonder if Rower Don Hume Rower died of a respiratory illness (that he had at the 1936 Olympics). Well, he didn't. He died of a heart attack on September 11, 2001, at the age of 86.
Donald Bruce Hume, better known as Don Hume, was an American rower who won Olympic gold at the 1936 Summer Olympics. He is also the former president of the West Coast Mining Association. Recently, he has been in the news after people have been loving his notes on detailed accounts of the team's efforts to win gold.
Hume's diary, which he kept while growing up in Anacortes, is important not only for its maintenance as a historical document but also for Hume's complete observations and skills, even in cursive. Many people seem to be inspired by his notes, and the notes were shared by his nephew, Tim Hume of Olympia. Tim also shared some of his interesting items during an interview with Cascadia Daily News.
On the other hand, we have found that many people want to know about his illness which he suffered at the final race of the 1936 Olympics. Did he die from the same illness? Let's find it out together.
Previously, we discussed the stories of Heather Gay and Shay Johnson.
Rower Don Hume Struggled With Respiratory Illness All His Life but Died Because of a Different Illness!
Rower Don Hume died because of a heart attack, not because of a long-term illness. Many rumors say Don was suffering from a respiratory illness for a long time, and the reason for his death was not a heart attack. According to his close friend Bob, the incident was very sudden.
On September 16, 2001, Americans lost Don, one of the best rowers. Rowing, also known as crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. Although he was a very private person, some rumors describe Don's illness. Some of the rumors say that he was dead because he had been suffering from respiratory illnesses for a long time, while others say that it was a heart attack that made him die.
Don Hume died in 2001 because of cardiac illness.
Image Source: PBS
The reason for Don's death and illness started being a gossipy topic over the years. However, in 2001, the New York Times talked to, Bob Moch a close friend of Hume, and confirmed the news of his illness. Bob mentioned that he suffered complications from a heart attack and a stroke and stated;
I kept yelling at him to get the stroke up, and nothing happened. When he came up from a stroke, he was one foot from my megaphone, but there was no response.
Robert Gaston Moch, better known as Bob Moch, was an American rower who won Olympic gold at the 1936 Summer Olympics. He began his career by signing on as an assistant crew coach at the University of Washington under his old coach. He is also known as the former head crew coach at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
How Did Don Hume (Rower) Die?
Although Bob Moch didn't mention if Don Hume had any other illness, it seems like many people were not satisfied with the answer. The rumors of Don having a respiratory illness have been flooding all over the internet since 2017.
When one of the users commented on Goodreads and asked what was wrong with Don Hume, a random user replied in the post. He said that in Hume's early years, Hume used to work in a pulp mill in Anacortes one summer, which caused him respiratory illness.
Don Hume even struggled with respiratory illness at the 1936 Olympics.
Image Source: PBS
The user also said that Hume had been taking Haliver Oil (cod liver oil and something; this was pre-antibiotic days) up through the Olympic Trials but quit taking it after qualifying, thinking it would be warm in Germany. The weather instead turned out to be cold, with rain and wind at times, and it weakened Hume, which caused him to fall quite sick.
More About Don Hume!
There is very little information about Don Hume on the internet. He was born and raised in Olympia, Washington, and later, when he was in his teens, he moved to the waterways of Puget Sound with his parents. He was the stroker for the University of Washington senior varsity eights, which won the US National Intercollegiate Rowing Association championships in 1936 and 1937.
Don's private life is very secret, and he has never mentioned his love life. However, he has a big sister and nephew named Tim Hume of Olympia. He also served in the merchant marine, and during the post-war period, his career was in oil and gas exploration.
