He was diagnosed in August 2007 with a progressive liver disease known as Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis, which is the same ailment that claimed the life of Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton in 1999.
In August 2007, he was diagnosed with a progressive liver disease known as Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis, a condition identical to the one that caused Walter Payton's death in 1999 and took his life.