PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — The unexpected death of a former local athlete is hitting hard today at Duquesne University.

The victim was living and working in California, and died after having common dental surgery.

Last August during a Gateway Clipper cruise, Marek Lapinski showed local folks a new technology where you can take any camera, and using special software, show images on a screen in 3D.

His company in California developed it.

But the 2010 graduate of Duquesne University and the graduate of North Allegheny High School died over the weekend after what should have been a routine wisdom teeth extraction.

His former football coach at Duquesne University says it’s hard for those who knew him to accept.

“It’s really hard to deal with,” said Jerry Schmitt, the coach of Duquesne University football. “The guys, the coaches, and the older players and our grad assistants that played with him – to understand he had a great future ahead of him, really worked hard in the classroom to put himself in that position, so it’s a really tough situation to grasp and understand.”

Lapinski took ill near San Diego where he lived. He was transferred to a medical facility in Los Angeles where he died.

The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office says the body has not yet been examined, so there’s no official cause of death yet.

RELATED LINKS:

Pittsburgh Native Helping To Develop New 3D Technology (8/30/12)

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