# WTF - Marco Pantani's dead?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-marco-pantanis-dead/232421>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [March 4, 2004, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-marco-pantanis-dead/232421 "2004-03-04T00:12:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\
**Post date:** [March 4, 2004, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-marco-pantanis-dead/232421/1 "2004-03-04T00:12:11Z")

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He died two weeks ago and I only heard the first time today!

[Goodbye, Pirate](http://www.velonews.com/news/fea/5556.0.html)

Subsequent reports state he died from a mixture of cocaine and antidepressants. What a shame!

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**Author:** ![elephant\_shoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c77e96/32.png) [@elephant\_shoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elephant_shoes)\
**Post date:** [March 4, 2004, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-marco-pantanis-dead/232421/2 "2004-03-04T02:45:24Z")

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Pretty damn heartbreaking, huh? A tragic end to a sad story. A great champion of cycling died all alone, depressed, and feeling set apart from the world, a scapegoat for doping.

A couple links: [Cyclingnews](http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/) has had the best coverage of his death, and the investigation. Take a look at their news section, starting on February 14. And [The Gazzetta](http://www.gazzetta.it/gazzetta/common/area_gazzetta/gallerie/galleria.html?ciclismo/2004/febbraio/pantani&1) has some great pics of Pantani’s better days.

It’s been a rough year for cycling all around. So many riders dying before their time. ☹

Sorry you didn’t get a chance to mourn with the tifosi.