Joseph Smith

On the night of March 2, 2002, Smith had a heart attack in his Washington, D.C. apartment. His roommate, U.S. Representative Tim Adams, discovered him unconscious in the living room and transported him to a nearby clinic. Smith's recovery seemed imminent, but his health declined the following day. He was transported to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for further evaluation and observation and died there in the early hours of March 4 at the age of 54. The official cause of death is listed as heart failure.