The former president's health deteriorated in the months following his wife's death in April.
Did broken heart syndrome hasten the death of former President George H.W. Bush following the April death of his beloved wife?
The nation looked on as Bush mourned his beloved wife of 73 years, Barbara, in April. The day after her burial, he was rushed to intensive care with sepsis.
David Valdez, Bush's official White House photographer, told Inside Edition he believed the former president longed to join his wife in the afterlife.
“I said, 'Wow, talk about a broken heart, it only took eight months,'” he said.
The former president recovered after his hospitalization in April, but his health continued to deteriorate throughout the year.
Dr. Devi Nampiaparampil, a professor at New York University School of Medicine, told Inside Edition broken heart syndrome is a very real thing.
"Your heart races, your lungs start working harder and some people because of their age or chronic medical conditions, their body just can’t handle that," she said.
Granddaughter Marshall Bush was by the former president’s side when he died. Bush had 17 grandchildren, and two of them, Marshall and Ashley, made the rounds on the morning shows Monday. They said their grandfather longed to see Robin, the daughter he lost to leukemia at age 3.
“Today” show correspondent Jenna Bush Hager, one of the daughters of George W. Bush, posted a cartoon depicting her grandparents and Robin reunited in heaven.
Inside Edition spoke to the cartoonist, Marshall Ramsey, about the image.
"I just know how much he loved his wife and loved his child, and I think that is what he wanted the most," Ramsey said.
On Monday, the Bush family looked on as the coffin was loaded onto Air Force One, which was renamed Special Air Mission 41 for Bush’s final flight to Washington.
RELATED STORIES
