Report cites cardiac arrhythmia tied to sarcoidosis
Drug use contributory but not fatal, examiner says
American chess grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky died last year after suffering a sudden heart rhythm disturbance, with an underlying heart condition identified as the primary cause, according to a report released by North Carolina medical authorities.
The 29-year-old was found dead at his townhome in Charlotte in October 2025. At the time, police said his death was being investigated as a possible overdose or suicide, and no cause had been made public.
The medical examiner’s investigation, conducted by Dr James R Lozano and obtained by the Guardian on Thursday, concludes that Naroditsky died from a probable cardiac arrhythmia caused by undiagnosed systemic sarcoidosis, an inflammatory disease that most commonly affects the lungs but can also involve the heart. Methamphetamine and kratom (mitragynine) use were listed as contributing conditions, though the report states that the levels detected were not considered toxic or lethal on their own. The manner of death was ruled an accident.
