If the Aorta tore, it would be like a pipe blowing in a closed heating system. The pressure would drop dramatically in a second. He would have been unconscious in a few seconds. He might have felt something but he would not have comprehended what was happening.
One way of putting it. There is no warning, dissection takes time as it splits away from original separation point. And it isn’t “felt” internally until the pressure bursts from the artery into the abdominal cavity. Rapid pressure drop, kidney failure, blood supply to the brain all falling with the blood loss being into the cavity. Even with morphine drip to ease the pain, the bleeding can’t be stopped, not without emergent
aortic surgery with a “sock”.
He collapsed, bled into his body, and grossly blood moves out of... orifices. Many here on FR may have witnessed this in hospice or hospital with a loved one. The only answer is to know the genetics of this, and the prevention of the stressors which potentiate the tissue failure. John Ritter was 54, Graham 71 (and one can speculate on eating/lifestyle stressors which were likely ignored or.. undiagnosed). It is well linked to genetic inheritance which only recently has been clinically documented.