How did tennis great Arthur Ashe die?

• A. AIDS-related pneumonia
• B. Heart attack
• C. Lung cancer
• D. Stroke

Answer: (A)

Arthur Ashe’s death reflects how HIV/AIDS can lead to fatal complications, even years after the initial infection. He contracted HIV from a blood transfusion during heart surgery in 1983, publicly disclosed his status in 1992, and died in 1993 from AIDS-related pneumonia. The pneumonia was the immediate cause of death, a common opportunistic infection when the immune system is weakened by AIDS. The other possibilities—heart attack, stroke, or lung cancer—don’t fit the medical history, since the decisive factor was the AIDS-related decline in immune function rather than an acute cardiovascular event or cancer. This highlights both the impact of HIV/AIDS on health and the historical importance of Ashe’s openness about his illness.