The official cause of death for legendary kickboxer and mixed martial arts coach Duke Roufus, who passed away in Milwaukee on October 17, 2025, has finally been determined. The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner ruled that Roufus died from heart disease, specifically hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, classifying his death as natural. Contributing factors included obesity, congestive heart failure, and atrial fibrillation.
Roufus was discovered deceased in his bed by a neighbor who had gone to check on him after he failed to pick up his 12-year-old daughter from school that day. According to the medical examiner’s investigation report, Roufus was last seen alive on October 16, 2025, at his daughter’s volleyball game. His ex-wife observed that he appeared “more tired than usual” since returning from Dubai two weeks prior.
Adding to the details, Roufus’s father, Pat, voiced concerns to the Medical Examiner’s Office on the night of his son’s passing, suggesting that Duke “may have been forgetting to take his prescription medication during his time in Dubai, as he was very busy.”