A 68-year-old Blacksburg man who died after he and his wife were caught in a rip current Saturday afternoon off Southern Shores died of cardiovascular disease, not drowning, Southern Shores police said Tuesday.
Police said John Albright was unresponsive when bystanders pulled him from the water in the area between First and Second avenues just after noon.
Good Samaritans and first responders attempted CPR, but were unable to revive Albright. Witnesses said the couple, who also owned a home in Southern Shores, appeared to have been pulled out by a rip current.
Albright, an architect in Chicago for more than 30 years, was born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Arlington, Virginia. He was a longtime seasonal resident of Southern Shores, according to his obituary.
He leaves behind his wife, three siblings, a nephew, three nieces and many other relatives and friends.
The water temperature at Duck Pier, several miles to the north, was 65 degrees at the time of the incident, and the National Weather Service had forecast a moderate risk of rip currents on Saturday.
