American Paul Wylie, the 1992 Olympic silver medalist in men's figure skating at the Albertville Games, suffered a heart problem on Tuesday and is currently hospitalized in Charlotte, North Carolina.
"Paul experienced an unexpected heart abnormality while exercising with friends early Tuesday morning," his wife Kate said in a statement posted by icenetwork.com. "He is currently being cared for by Charlotte's best cardiac physicians. He is resting comfortably as we wait for the outcome of the tests and a treatment plan is put in place."
The 50-year-old Wylie, who was runnerup to Russia's Viktor Petrenko in France, now coaches and commentates on skating. He was a professional and show skater for many years after his retirement, coming to Japan on several occasions.
Wylie, a Harvard graduate, was born in Dallas, but moved to Denver at the age of 11. He began training there with legendary coach Carlo Fassi, who led Britain's John Curry (1976) and Robin Cousins (1980) to Olympic gold medals.
Several members of the skating community reached out to Wylie via Twitter after hearing the news that initial reports called "a heart attack."
Kristi Yamaguchi, the women's gold medalist in Albertville, tweeted: "My prayers are with you Paulie, Kate & family."
Oksana Baiul, the women's gold medalist at the 1994 Lillehammer Games, tweeted: "Dear Paul Wylie I pray for you and wish you a speedy recovery . .."
Four-time U.S. champion Jeremy Abbott tweeted: "All of my prayers, thoughts, love, & energy are with my mentor, inspiring friend, & role model Paul Wylie & his family."
Wylie and his wife have three children.