"We offer our heartfelt condolences to the family," ABC and Endemol said in a joint statement. The Endemol spokesperson said the company requires all participants to undergo a full physical screening, but it's highly unlikely that Sparks' disease - antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, or APS - could have been detected, and Sparks did not list it as a pre-existing condition. Medics realized he was also experiencing shortness of breath and sent Sparks to a hospital close to "Wipeout's" set.īetween the day of taping and November 5, Sparks was transferred to Cedars Sinai hospital in Los Angeles, California. "We don't want to jump to any conclusions yet."Ī source close to the production company that produces "Wipeout" for ABC said that Sparks began to complain of knee pain while running through the first part of an obstacle course challenge during taping on October 19.Īlthough Sparks was in good spirits, the spokesperson said, producers pulled him from the course. "There's nothing we can confirm until we look at everything," the coroner's office told CNN. Sparks previously had worked in radio in Idaho, according to his résumé.Īn autopsy was conducted on November 8, but test results are still pending. Sparks died on November 5 of an apparent stroke that his doctors believe was triggered by a pre-existing disease that causes unnatural blood clotting, according to a statement his father released to the Idaho Mountain Express.
(CNN) - The death of Tom Sparks, a 33-year-old former TV host from California who was participating as a third-season contestant on ABC's reality show "Wipeout," likely was caused by a pre-existing condition, but the Los Angeles County coroner's office is still examining all possibilities.
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