Wipeout Contestant Dies

A contestant who participated on the ABC series Wipeout has died, a spokesman for the L.A. County Coroner's office told TVGuide.com.
Tom Sparks, 33, was hospitalized Oct. 19 after he complained of knee pain and experienced shortness of breath while on the first part of the show's obstacle course, spokesman Ed Winter said. Sparks died Nov. 5 at 5:10 p.m. and the cause of death has been deferred pending additional tests.

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"We offer our heartfelt condolences to the family. This is a tragic loss and our thoughts are with them at this time," ABC and Endemol USA, the production company behind Wipeout, said in a joint statement.Doctors believe Sparks may have died from a stroke caused by a pre-existing disease called antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS), which causes unnatural blood clotting, his father, Bill Sparks, told the Idaho Mountain Express. Winter said the coroner's office was advised of Sparks' condition, but will not comment on whether it played a factor in Sparks' death until official tests reults are in. Results are expected in six-to-eight weeks.

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Before moving to California, Tom Sparks was a disc jockey at the Idaho radio station KSKI 103.7. He is survived by his wife Kate. The couple would have celebrated their two-month anniversary last Friday.