Andy Irons's Family Mourns 'Beloved Husband'
By Stephen M. Silverman

Expressing their thanks to friends and fans, Andy Irons's family issued a statement Wednesday, a day after the three-time world surfing champion from Kauai was found dead.

The family is requesting privacy, "they said, so their focus can remain on one another during this time of profound loss."

Irons, who was 32, leaves behind a pregnant wife, Lyndie Dupuis, who is due to give birth to the couple's first child next month.

The family statement, part of a tribute on the ASP World Tour Web site, added, "The world of surfing mourns an incredibly sad loss today with the news that Hawaii's Andy Irons has died. Andy was a beloved husband and a true champion."

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Irons was discovered dead Tuesday morning in his room at the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport's Grand Hyatt Hotel in Grapevine, Texas, along with the prescription medications alprazolam and zolpidem on the bedside dresser table, according to a Dallas/Fort Worth Airport Police report, according to the Dallas Morning News.

An autopsy was performed Wednesday in Texas, but it is expected to take up to three months for the Tarrant County medical examiner to have the results of toxicology reports and determine the cause of death.

Alprazolam is known under its brand name of Xanax, used to treat anxiety disorders. Zolpidem's brand name is Ambien, which is prescribed for insomnia.

His family said Irons was battling dengue fever, an illness that can be fatal if not treated properly. The surfer was returning from Puerto Rico, where he had withdrawn from the 2010 Rip Curl Pro Search.

"A complete postmortem examination ... was essentially negative for trauma, and foul play is not suspected," the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office said in a statement Wednesday. "Both the cause and manner of death are pending completion of postmortem laboratory studies."