A Texas county medical examiner has ruled out trauma and foul play in the death of surfing champion Andy Irons, while Kelly Slater says the Rip Curl tour should go on in his honour.
Irons was found dead on Tuesday in a hotel room at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport during a layover en route to his home on Kauai. He was returning from Puerto Rico, where he was to compete in the 2010 Rip Curl Pro Search. He withdrew citing an illness he contracted in Portugal.
Tarrant County Medical Examiner Nizam Peerwani said on Wednesday the cause and manner of death are pending due to completion of lab tests, which could take several weeks.
The 32-year-old surfer claimed the world championship in 2002, 2003 and 2004, and was a four-time winner of the prestigious Vans Triple Crown of Surfing. His wife, Lyndie, is expecting the couple's first child in December.
Kelly Slater says the Rip Curl world tour event in Puerto Rico should continue despite yesterday's tragic passing off his greatest surfing rival Andy Irons.
There is speculation that grieving surfers may choose to pull out of the event, but SLATER says he's determined to get back in the water because that's what Irons would have wanted.
More than 200 surfers, friends and support staff have taken part in an emotional paddle out at Middles Beach in Puerto Rico as a tribute to the three-time world champion.
