A few years ago I began hunting down some shipmates. Guess who I found? Alive and well. He told me what had happened. He did have some convalescent leave then got shore duty in the yards then later retired. He makes kids toys in his shop in Va Beach.
A heart attack by a senior enlisted especially on a carrier is not that uncommon.
Sadly, it does happen. I knew an Air Force Colonel, early 40s, physically fit and near the lower end of the insurance “weight tables” for his height. Always in the gym or doing PT at 6 am. Finished a workout one morning at Langley AFB, went straight to his desk. When he failed to show up for a nine am staff meeting, someone was sent to check on him. Didn’t respond to a knock on his door, so the Lt went into his office. Found the Colonel face down on his desk, dead of a heart attack.
I also remember a Lt Col (navigator) from my days in SAC. Retired in early 85 after 20 years of active duty. Had just built his dream home and landed a job with a defense contractor. Died from a heart attack two weeks after his retirement ceremony. He was 43.