LA Angels announcer Rory Markas (aka Rory Marcus) is dead, possibly due to heart attack

  Rory Markas died January 5th, 2010 at age 54 (AP Photo)

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Related Resources:

• LA Times article about Markas' brain aneurysm

• Rory Markas bio on Angels offical website

Rory Markas, often mistakenly referred to as Rory Macrus, died today at age 54, according to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim team-owned radio station AM 830. According to the Orange County Register, Markas died of a heart attack at around midnight with paramedics in attendance. However, the AP reports Markas' cause of death has not yet been determined.

Markas is best known for his call of the final out of the 2002 World Series: "Fly ball, center field. Erstad says he's hot it! Erstad makes the catch! The Anaheim Angels are the champions of baseball!"

Markas has worked in Southern California sports broadcasting for a long time. Markas was a play-by-play announcer for the Angels since 2002. He had also announced games for USC and the Clippers. Before that, he was the play-by-play announcer for the Brewers.

The past year has not been kind to the Angels. Pitcher Nick Adenhart and club executive Preston Gomez also passed away during the last year.

Markas' Aneurysm and Brain Surgery

Markas' symptoms on November 1, 2008 included the worst headache of his life along with nausea. On November 3, 2008, Markas underwent brain surgery to remove a clot in his brain.

Markas said of the aneurysm that almost cost him his life, "I'm very, very fortunate. I don't have loss of motor skills; I can speak fine, things that normally can go bad, none of those happened. The surgery was successful. I saw my surgeon yesterday, and he said I'm pretty much back to normal."

A brain aneurysm occurs when the weaking of the walls of an artery or vein in the brain causes it to balloon. In many cases, the artery ruptures. Around 30,000 people per year will have an aneurysm with a hemorrhage. About 50% of these people die within 30 days of the hemorrhage. Those with signs of aneurysm such as severe headache, nausea, and blurred vision should seek immediate emergency medical care.