• nslatz@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    There is a journalistic shorthand at work here, “brief illness” usually means something discovered too late to treat, RIP Sir.

    • Dave@lemmy.nz
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      11 months ago

      Yeah, my first thought was cancer, though there are plenty of other possibilities.

      • NielsBohron@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        I’d agree that cancer is most likely, especially given his relatively young age. Acute issues (like a stroke or appendicitis) wouldn’t really get called an “illness” at all, and most of the other terminal diseases you expect to see first diagnosed in people in their 60’s (like early onset Alzheimer’s, Parkinsons, ALS, etc.) don’t typically have much of a mortality rate until people reach their 70’s. Plus, cancer seems the most likely to fly under the radar until relatively late, given how many cases have few or no symptoms until after the tumor gets metastasized or inoperable.

        Exceptions exist of course, but cancer seems to make the most sense to me.

        • nslatz@lemmy.world
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          11 months ago

          Heart attack or stroke are usually described by the media as “died suddenly”.