To find what’s happened to Michael Mosley quite anxiety provoking

Unfortunately this can happen to anyone, anywhere, who is exerting themselves and it's more likely to happen to an older man. Remember Robin Cook who died on a mountainside in the UK. Yes the heat was probably a factor and he was foolhardy but I can't understand people being 'furious' with him. It could have happened on a dogwalk in the English countryside, it might have happened on a treadmill in the local gym, though he would have had far better survival odds. Makes you see the benefit of defibrillators being installed in public places.

I think people need to stop blaming him. He had water, he was fit, he had an umbrella and he’d only walked a couple of miles. The heat was excessive but on other days he’d done the same and was fine.

He’d also had a history of amnesia, was 67, took with him a small bottle of water, told nobody where he was going, and didn’t take his phone. Also, it was only the second day of the holiday.

I know. It’s embarrassing all these people judging and getting all involved. I suggest they focus on their own lives.

Ultimately none of us knows the exact circumstances and nature of his death. He could have had an existing illness for all we know. His medical history is rightfully private, despite his media persona and job.

When there's signal 😬

Pretty much the whole of that day around Exmoor- and where I was camping in the Doone valley- there was zero signal. It's why I prefer to rely on paper maps.

It sounds like he had a medical episode like a heart attack or stroke. If he'd been alone on a UK coastal path he'd have also likely already been dead by the time someone next walked along the path. It could just as easily have happened if he'd stayed home, and a phone wasn't likely to have helped considering he was already in earshot if he'd had time to call for help.

I gather that just a few degrees of heat can make a massive difference to human health. Before MM's accident I had been reading about the Mediterranean weather and thinking "Wow, the 40 degree heatwaves are early this year".

It seems that a susceptibility to heatstroke can be quite random. You get those occasional soldiers collapsing and dying in the Brecon Beacons on exercises, when presumably the rest are OK.

I think it's of note that this happened on the second day of his holiday,too. We haven't had much warm weather in the UK this year, so perhaps he had neither physically or psychologically acclimatised. I read a book about a man walking the length of the Nile a way back. Two journalists flew out to join him for a leg- one from elsewhere in Africa, one from a New York winter. On a 40 degree day, climbing a hill in the open, the latter suddenly collapsed from heat exhaustion and died. It happened so fast- and they were so far from even the nearest road- that he had no chance.

I once had a scary experience due to fairly innocent decisions. It wasn’t the heat but -30C, my friend had dropped me off at another friend’s place where I was meant to stay that night which was Xmas eve. As I fully expected to walk into his warm flat from the car, I had not taken my hat, scarf or gloves. I think I also only had trainers on. I didn’t have a mobile phone as it was 1997.

However, after my lift giving friend had left I realised I actually didn’t know which apartment block was his. I thought I did but once there they all looked the same. I had no coins to make a phone call and there was no soul outside it being xmas eve (it’s the main event in my home country). After an hour circling around the buildings I had to call the emergency service to ask if they could call my friend to say I’m outside but unable to find him.

Once he found me, it took me hours to get warm, my internal core temperature felt so cold for so long.

We all make innocent mistakes, I find it horrendous how people are rushing up to blame him not to mention calling him all sorts of names.

Yeah I'm so disappointed in his choices too, he was too good to lose.
His "time wasn't up"
We aren't controlled by fate!
It was the choices he made. He was always testing himself. And even his intelligence and common sense couldn't cancel out the curiosity and risk taking in this case.
It just feels so sad and preventable

Agreed it could have been a heart attack prompted by heatstroke. They have proven he was sitting down. There was no fall or blow to the head. His hands were on his chest. Mercifully it was probably quick.

I think people need to stop blaming him. He had water, he was fit, he had an umbrella and he’d only walked a couple of miles. The heat was excessive but on other days he’d done the same and was fine.

And they would be entitled to do so, just as he was entitled to make the decisions and do the stuff that he did. It doesn't change my opinion though.

I am responding to the poster who said she was ‘furious’ and lots of people agreeing with them.

I don’t feel angry towards him at all

Angry? You didn’t even know him 😂

Not true. His father died of complications of diabetes at 72.

I don’t feel angry towards him at all. It was his own choice. He knew full well what heatstroke is and the precautions he needed to take. I’m sure he wasn’t expecting to be walking for so long. Even if his wife had said to him at the beach, You haven’t got your phone/you need more water/why don’t you wait for us… he would have gone anyway.

Yes, I pride myself on my rude health (lone parent, I feel I HAVE to be healthy, IYSWIM), and I had an episode of post viral fatigue for about a month recently. As a menopausal woman who has several friends with various autoimmune illnesses, this has always been one of my greatest fears. I got quite depressed, even though it was so minor compared to what some people suffer. But it did give me increased empathy for people in that boat, so I guess it was an important life lesson.

We were in Greece last week and an extreme heat warning was issued by the Greek weather office. It was 37 degrees at times.

The fact was in an interview a month ago he said that his own father died suddenly in his 60s and he feared that the same thing would happen to him. It did, it was genetic despite his living healthy. Anger is natural at first but it wasn’t his fault.

Must say I feel the same, especially as it’s the kind of daft thing dh could easily have done not so long ago - I think (hope!) that at 76 he’s got more sense now.

And although had mobile phones in 2003 they would have be no use on this walk. I am not sure if their age was on their side as obviously MM was 67 but I would imagine so.

I agree, it may have been due to a heart attack or other medical event and we simply don't know at this point whether he may have had the same outcome whilst sitting on the sofa watching TV or remaining with his family at dinner.

I think there is some comfort on the fact that he died whilst doing something he enjoyed and it was relatively quick, he did not have long painful time dealing with the complications of diabetes like his father which may have been the outcome if he had been a less active and health conscious individual.

Intelligent people are usually very curious, I can well imagine my Dad doing this, he is well travelled, lived in different countries where it is very hot and is a spontaneous person. DH and a friend actually did something similar to MM on a Greek Island and got a bit lost with no water on them at all, it was a bit over 20 years ago so I don’t think it was 40 degrees but still. They were ok but panic did set in, perhaps over confident 20 year olds that saw it as an adventure and it didn’t cross their mind to tell anyone where they were going as they didn’t have any intention of taking a different route when they set out.

As much as it might comfort us to believe that we have no control over our lives and deaths, and that there really is a Grim Reaper out there with a list, I don’t think any of us can deny that Dr Mosley died because he made a series of unwise decisions that, unfortunately for him, turned out catastrophically. I’m sure his wife and kids will be tormented by that for the rest of their lives - if only he hadn’t gone for that walk, if only he’d had his phone, if only the weather hadn’t been so scorching, and so on.

His time wasn’t up. That’s what makes it so sad.

It's so sad.

This too. My husband died of an incurable cancer. It fills me with rage when people say that xxx "lost the battle" with their terminal illness....as though if they had fought harder, done better they would still be alive, would have somehow been healed.....that somehow dying of an incuable disease is the person's fault......but this.....this could have been avoided.