Vikings offensive line coach Tony Sparano died of natural causes from arteriosclerotic heart disease, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's office said in a release Monday evening.
Sparano, 56, died at 8:54 a.m. Sunday morning after collapsing in the kitchen of his home on Bearpath Trail in Eden Prairie. He and his wife, Jeanette, were on their way to church.
Emergency personnel were called shortly after Jeanette found Sparano unconscious. Sparano had complained of chest pains last Thursday, went to the hospital and was released Friday.
Sparano's children _ sons Tony and Andrew and daughter Ryan Leigh _ were on their way to Minnesota on Monday. Funeral arrangements have not been finalized.
"Our hearts go out to Jeanette and the entire Sparano family as we all mourn the loss of Tony," Vikings owners Mark and Zygi Wilf said in a statement Sunday.
