Three men who died at this year’s Burning Man festival in Nevada had cardiovascular disease listed among the causes or contributing factors in their deaths, according to a medical examiner.
Tshombe Sampson, 62, Armando Ramirez, 51, and Craig Mann, 60, all died while attending the renowned festival in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert.
Sampson, from Santa Monica, collapsed at the event. Emergency responders performed CPR, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Washoe County Medical Examiner determined that Sampson died from hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, SF Gate reported.
Sampson was reportedly well known among Burning Man attendees and returned each year to provide free legal services at the festival.
The following day, Ramirez, of Truckee, California, developed severe chest pain and died in an ambulance while being taken to hospital.
The medical examiner ruled his death accidental, citing a combination of methamphetamine and MDMA toxicity, diabetes and heart disease. Long-term methamphetamine use was also identified as a contributing factor.
On September 5, Mann, who was from Yuma, Arizona, was found unresponsive inside his trailer at the festival.
Tshombe Sampson collapsed at the festival, and emergency responders performed CPR before he died at the scene
Craig Mann, pictured with his partner Anya, was found unresponsive in his trailer
Armando Ramirez, from Truckee, California, suffered severe chest pain and died in an ambulance on the way to the hospital
Mann’s death was also ruled accidental, with cocaine and methamphetamine toxicity and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease listed as contributing factors.
Following news of Mann’s death, friends and family shared emotional tributes. Many said he died surrounded by people he loved while doing something that brought him joy.
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His partner, Anya, posted photos of the pair at the festival wearing matching all-white outfits, cowboy hats and visors. Her caption read: “My Mann.”
One friend wrote: “I’m so happy you were with the people you loved and who loved you. I’m thankful you were doing something you wanted to do when you left this world.”
“It’s been amazing to see how many people you touched throughout your life. There are SO SOOOO MANY people who loved you deeply. You def lived life to the fullest! A true inspiration of how I hope to be at 60!”
Burning Man averages about one death each year. In 2025, 37-year-old Vadim Kruglov was stabbed to death in a case that remains unsolved.
In September, Kruglov’s father, Igor, appealed for “justice” as investigators pursued several leads after the Russian native was found lifeless in a pool of blood near his camp.
In an emotional video statement provided to the Daily Mail, Igor said he was proud of his son, who became known worldwide for the art he created at the festival shortly before his death.
“He felt injustice deeply and fought for fairness always,” Igor said of his son. “I believe a similar situation occurred here.”
Vadim Kruglov took several pictures in front of the massive art installation he designed and help construct during the Burning Man festival
Investigators said other festival participants discovered Kruglov’s bloodied body around the time when the ‘Man’ was being burned in the center of the Black Rock camp
Other festival goers flagged officials down after Kruglov’s bloodied body was found in the outer area of the festival campsite.
Investigators said Kruglov was found sometime during the festival’s climax when the wooden ‘Man’ effigy began to burn in the northwestern Nevada desert.
The Daily Mail contacted the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office and Burning Man press for further comment on the overall safety of the event.