WSJ’s Rago died of natural causes

Joseph Rago

Wall Street Journal editorial writer Joseph Rago died of natural causes in July, according to a medical examiner’s report.

Simone Wilson of Patch.com writes, “‘The cause of death is sarcoidosis involving lungs, heart, spleen, hilar and mediastinal lymph nodes,’ Julie Bolcer, director of communications for the Medical Examiner, said in an email Tuesday. ‘The manner of death is natural.’

“From the beginning, the NYPD didn’t suspect foul play. Rago was found ‘with no obvious signs of trauma,’ the Journal reported at the time.

“Sarcoidosis, which causes severe inflammation of the organs, is still relatively mysterious to doctors.

“According to the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research: ‘Despite the best efforts of researchers for more than a century working to better understand the complexities of this disease, sarcoidosis remains difficult to diagnose with limited therapies. Many patients suffer for years before arriving at the correct diagnosis or discovering the best treatment plan.'”

Read more here.

Chris Roush

Chris Roush was the dean of the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. He was previously Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Professor in business journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a former business journalist for Bloomberg News, Businessweek, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Tampa Tribune and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. He is the author of the leading business reporting textbook "Show me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication" and "Thinking Things Over," a biography of former Wall Street Journal editor Vermont Royster.