British professional wrestler Benjamin Satterley, known across All Elite Wrestling (AEW) programming under the ring name Pac, died from natural causes resulting from bronchial asthma, the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office in Illinois confirmed on Friday (16). Forensic investigators ruled out any signs of physical trauma or foul play in the passing of the 40-year-old athlete, whose death occurred on September 27, 2026. The official determination brings closure to the medical inquiry initiated after emergency responders found the performer in the suburban Chicago area last month.
- Official medical finding: bronchial asthma, categorized by the Cook County coroner as a death by natural causes.
- Scene details: first responders located the 40-year-old performer unresponsive inside a rented automobile in Des Plaines, Illinois.
- Final ring performance: the fatality happened less than 24 hours after the British athlete competed at the AEW All Out 2026 pay-per-view.
According to medical definitions provided by the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH, the federal government’s primary agency for biomedical and public health research), bronchial asthma is a chronic condition in which inflammation and narrowing of the respiratory airways restrict breathing. In severe acute episodes, the constriction of the bronchial tubes can become fatal if airflow is not rapidly restored. County medical officials did not release any further clinical records or autopsy specifics beyond the primary cause and natural classification of the fatality. Satterley was discovered unconscious behind the steering wheel of a parked car along Mannheim Road, directly outside a CAVA restaurant location in the city of Des Plaines. Paramedics and local emergency personnel dispatched to the scene pronounced the wrestler dead at 4:08 p.m. local time.
Des Plaines police report found no signs of violence at the scene
Incident records compiled by the Des Plaines Police Department indicate that patrol officers called to the Mannheim Road parking lot observed no suspicious physical marks or indications of an assault on the athlete’s body. Law enforcement investigators noted in their official documentation only the presence of what appeared to be saliva on the front portion of the British performer’s shirt, consistent with a sudden medical emergency inside the vehicle.
The medical crisis took place less than a full day after Satterley performed inside the ring in Hoffman Estates, a suburb in the greater Chicago metropolitan area, during the AEW All Out 2026 event on September 26, 2026. During the broadcast, the British competitor was defeated by fellow wrestler Andrade El Idolo in a bout contesting the AEW National Championship. Later that same evening, Satterley also made an appearance during the night’s main event match featuring performers Jon Moxley and Will Ospreay.
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Statements from Natalie Satterley and All Elite Wrestling leadership
Shortly after the initial news of the tragedy became public, All Elite Wrestling issued a formal statement mourning the loss of one of the promotion’s original roster members signed at its inception. “All Elite Wrestling is saddened to announce the passing of Benjamin Satterley, also known as Pac. A native of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, Satterley began his wrestling career in 2004 and went on to perform for wrestling organizations all over the world, captivating fans with innovative high-flying moves and incredible in-ring ability,” the company stated.
The wrestler’s widow, Natalie Satterley, shared a public farewell message on her personal Instagram account on Monday (12), reflecting on their 21 years of friendship and 11 years of marriage. “You always worked so incredibly hard to ensure we would have a great life together, both now and once you had retired. The cruelty of having all of our future hopes and dreams snatched away will never feel real,” Natalie wrote in the post. The Satterley family also expressed gratitude for the support from the global wrestling community through an official message read aloud by broadcast presenter Renee Paquette during an episode of the weekly television show AEW Dynamite.
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Championship career across Dragon Gate, WWE and AEW promotions
Born and raised in Newcastle upon Tyne in northern England, Satterley began his formal training for professional wrestling at the age of 18. Before signing with major American television promotions, he built an international reputation in Japan with the Dragon Gate organization. During his tenure in Japan, he captured the promotion’s top prize, the Open the Dream Gate Championship, and set a company record by holding the Open the Brave Gate Championship for 447 consecutive days.
- 2004 — Makes his professional wrestling debut in the United Kingdom, quickly gaining recognition for an acrobatic aerial style.
- 2012 to 2018 — Competes in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) under the ring names Adrian Neville and Neville, winning the NXT Championship once, the NXT Tag Team Championship twice, and the WWE Cruiserweight Championship twice.
- 2019 — Signs a contract with the newly launched AEW promotion, where he becomes the inaugural holder of the AEW All-Atlantic Championship (now known as the International Championship) and a two-time AEW World Trios Champion.
- September 26, 2026 — Competes in his final professional match at the AEW All Out 2026 event in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
- September 27, 2026 — Found unresponsive inside a vehicle in Des Plaines, Illinois, and pronounced dead at 4:08 p.m. local time.
- September 30, 2026 — Relatives release their first public statement during the live broadcast of AEW Dynamite.
- October 16, 2026 — The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office officially confirms the cause of death as natural due to bronchial asthma.
