Two weeks ago, the surfing world looked on in devastation as news came to light that champion surfer Mick Fanning‘s older brother Peter, 43, had died unexpectedly overnight, hours before Mick was due to compete in the Billabong Pipeline Masters.
At the time, there was some speculation that drugs had played a role in his death, but his mother, Elizabeth Osborne, has put those rumours firmly to rest.
Speaking outside Peter’s funeral today in Tweed Heads, NSW, she told the Gold Coast Bulletin that the autopsy showed he died from an enlarged heart, which stemmed from a serious hyperthyroid problem that had almost killed him in 2012.
“I can’t do it – I’m too devastated,” she said in a text message.
Hundreds of family and friends attended Peter’s funeral, where he was farewelled with the Rolling Stones‘ song Wild Horses.
Story: Gold Coast Bulletin.
Photo: Kirstin Scholtz / Getty.
