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Cause of Death Revealed for 3 People Who Died at Burning Man

While Burning Man is said to average one death per year, 2026 saw three deaths, and all of them were heart-disease-related.

By Stephen Andrew Galiher

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We now have a little more insight into the three deaths at Burning Man 2026, and they’re coincidentally connected.

According to the SF Gate, all three men had heart disease. This is per the findings of the Washoe County Medical Examiner. Certainly, as noted, it’s a bizarre and unfortunate coincidence. More specifically, though, there were other factors to each of the men’s deaths.

The first death was 62-year-old lawyer Tshombe Sampson, of Santa Monica, CA. The beloved Burning Man figure reportedly collapsed while attending the fest on Sep. 3. On-hand emergency personnel delivered CPR, but Sampson died at the scene. The medical examiner determined that his........

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