Peter W Smith, 81, was found dead in a hotel room last May just days after he spoke to the Wall Street Journal about trying to get Hillary Clinton's email. It has now been revealed his death was a suicide

A Republican operative committed suicide just ten days after telling a Wall Street Journal reporter that he was trying to obtain Hillary Clinton's missing emails from Russian hackers, it has been revealed.

Peter W Smith, 81, spoke to the Wall Street Journal in May last year, and he died about 10 days later on May 14. The Journal's lead reporter on the story said they had no reason to believe foul play was a factor, and it was most likely Smith died of natural causes.

But now, the Chicago Tribune has obtained detailed documents - including a suicide note - explaining how the 81-year-old took his own life in a hotel room just across from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

In his note, Smith wrote 'NO FOUL PLAY WHATSOEVER' was involved in his death, and said he took his own life because of a 'RECENT BAD TURN IN HEALTH SINCE JANUARY, 2017' and because he 'LIFE INSURANCE OF $5 MILLION (was) EXPIRING'.

The 81-year-old also told a man at the Aspen Suites, where he was staying and found dead, 'tomorrow is my last day', according to a police report.

A former employee of Smith's told the Tribune the 81-year-old had gone to the Mayo Clinic to be treated for a heart condition. The hotel he was staying in at the time of his death was predominantly used by patients at the nearby clinic.

Smith took his own life in a hotel room at the Aspen Suites (pictured) just across from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota

A former employee of Smith's said the 81-year-old had recently checked into the clinic for treatment for a heart condition. Pictured is the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota

Police records relating to Smith's demise listed his official cause of death as: 'asphyxiation due to displacement of oxygen in confined space with helium'.

The Tribune reports a worker with Rochester Cremation Services, the funeral home that responded to the hotel, told the newspaper they remember seeing a tank of some sort in the room and that the cause of death was relatively common.

'When I got there and saw the tank, I thought, "I've seen this before," and was able to put two and two together,' the employee told the Tribune under the condition of anonymity.

Police reports confirmed tanks of helium were found in the room, as well as receipts for a nearby Walmart where Smith purchased 'Helium Jumbo'. Investigators still do not believe foul play was involved, according to the Tribune.

The new details emerged after Smith's piece in the Journal stated he was convinced emails missing from Clinton's server were in the hands of hackers.

In his interview earlier this year, Smith implied he had been working with disgraced former General Mike Flynn

Hillary Clinton speaks to guests at the American Library Association's (ALA) annual conference on June 27, 2017 in Chicago

He also implied he was working with Mike Flynn, the disgraced former General Trump made his national security adviser before he was forced to resign.

The newspaper said it was not clear whether Flynn played any role in Smith's attempts to find Clinton's emails.

The Journal said Flynn did not respond to requests, the White House declined comment, and the campaign said Smith never worked for it and that any such action undertaken by Flynn, if true, was not on its behalf.

Smith also told the Journal he believed hackers had Hillary's missing emails, and his team of sleuths had made contact with five groups - including two from Russia - that claimed to have them in their possession.

Smith was born Feb. 23, 1936, in Portland, Maine. Prior to attempting to uncover 'dirt' on Hillary, he also spent more than 45 years searching for incriminating evidence against Bill Clinton.

For confidential support call the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255