Those who knew pro surfer Andy Irons said it was illness, not prescription drugs, that killed the phenom, whose death this week rocked the surfing world. 
 
 An official cause of death has yet to be released but a close friend denied speculation that Irons, 32, had a drug problem. 
 
 "The guess is that he probably took a sleeping pill to get a good night's sleep and get on the plane the next morning," Randy Rarick told "Good Morning America." 
 
 But the police report noted that generic versions of the prescription drugs Ambien and Xanax were found in the Dallas hotel room where Irons was found dead Tuesday. And the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported that methadone was found in one of the bottles, citing the medical examiner's office. 
 
 Irons was on his way from a surfing competition in Puerto Rico to see his pregnant wife in Hawaii when he died. 
 
 His family has maintained that Irons, whose first child is due next month, died after contracting dengue fever during a recent trip to Portugal. 
 
 "Coming into Puerto Rico, he was fired up and ready to compete," Rarick said, adding that his friend appeared to be in good physical shape and happily signed autographs shortly after he arrived. 
 
 But Irons quickly fell ill, Rarick said, and sat out of the first round of competition. He then dropped out of the competition before the second round and was put on intravenous fluids by a doctor for dehydration. 
 
 Rarick said the doctor in Puerto Rico had advised Irons to stay on the island for a few more days to get stronger, but that the three-time world champion was eager to get home to his wife because he was no longer competing. 
 
 He was feeling better, Rarick said, but became more ill on the plane from Puerto Rico to Dallas. He checked into the hotel room to get a good night's sleep before connecting to Hawaii. 
 
 Hotel workers found Irons after he failed to answer a wake-up call. 
 
 Irons had returned to the world of competitive surfing this year after taking a year off to deal with personal issues. But Rarick said reports that Irons had battled a serious drug addiction during his time off were "probably overblown." 
 
 Andy Irons Admitted in Documentary to Using Surfing to Battle Personal Issues 
 
 The Irons' family has said that he told them he'd contracted dengue fever in Portugal. The virus, transmitted by mosquitoes, can cause shock, organ damage and death, if left untreated. 
 
 A preliminary autopsy showed no signs of foul play. The medical examiner's office in Texas told ABC News that a toxicology test will be conducted to look for drugs in his system. The results are expected in four to six weeks. 
 
 The medical examiner's office would not confirm the report from Honolulu that methadone was found in his room. 
 
 Irons admitted he was battling personal issues in the recent documentary, "I Surf Because." 
 
 "If I didn't have surfing to get those out of my system," he said, "I would self-destruct." 
 
 His death has shaken the surfing community he so loved. 
 
 "It is unfortunate and it's really been a shock to the whole world of surfing," Rarick said. "The word spread like wildfire and nobody could believe what happened." 
 
 To learn more about Dengue, including how to spot the symptoms, CLICK HERE to visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Fact Sheet. 
 
 How to Care For Someone With Dengue 
 
 If you think you or a family member could have dengue, consult a doctor immediately. If the doctor said the patient does not need to stay in the hospital, there are many things you can do to help him or her recover. Below is a list of things to do compiled by the CDC. 
 
 WHILE THEY HAVE A FEVER: 
 
 Bed Rest 
 
 Let the patient rest as much as possible. 
 
 Control the Fever 
 
 Give acetaminophen or paracetamol (Tylenol) every 6 hours (maximum 4 doses per day). Do not give ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) aspirin, or aspirin containing drugs. 
 
 Sponge patient's skin with cool water if fever stays high. 
 
 Prevent Dehydration 
 
 Dehydration can occur when a person loses too much fluid from high fevers, vomiting, or poor oral intake. 
 
 Give plenty of fluids and watch for signs of dehydration. 
 
 Bring patient to clinic or emergency room if any of the following signs develop: decrease in urination, few or no tears when child cries, dry mouth, tongue or lips, sunken eyes, listlessness or overly agitated or confused, fast heart beat (more than 100 per minute), cold or clammy fingers and toes, sunken fontanel in infant 
 
 Prevent Spread of Dengue in Your House 
 
 Place patient under bed net or use insect repellent on the patient while they have a fever. Mosquitoes that bite the patient can go on to bite and infect others. 
 
 Kill all mosquitoes in house and empty containers that carry water on patio. 
 
 Put screens on windows and doors to prevent mosquitoes from coming into house. 
 
 WHILE FEVER IS GOING AWAY: 
 
 Watch for warning signs as temperature declines 3 to 7 days after symptoms began. Return IMMEDIATELY to clinic or emergency department if any of the following warning signs appear: 
 
 Severe abdominal pain or persistent vomiting 
 
 Red spots or patches on the skin 
 
 Bleeding from nose or gums 
 
 Vomiting blood 
 
 Black, tarry stools 
 
 Drowsiness or irritability 
 
 Pale, cold, or clammy skin 
 
 Difficulty breathing 

 An autopsy done on the surfing champ rules out trauma and foul play 
 
 By Dan Nakaso and Mike Gordon 
 
 
 
 Association of Surfing Professionals Surfers raised their arms in honor of Andy Irons yesterday during a memorial service in Porta Del Sol, Puerto Rico. Irons had been scheduled to compete in Puerto Rico but pulled out of the contest there, reporting he was too sick to compete. 
 
 
 
 View PDF / Dallas-Fort Worth Police Report 
 
 View PDF / Tarrant County ME's Statement 
 
 An autopsy was performed on Andy Irons yesterday in Texas, but the Tarrant County medical examiner won't know for several weeks why the three-time world surfing champion from Kauai died, pending toxicology reports. 
 
 Irons, 32, was discovered dead Tuesday morning in Room 324 of the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport's Grand Hyatt Hotel in Grapevine, Texas, along with the prescription medications alprazolam and zolpidem, according to a Dallas/Fort Worth Airport Police report. 
 
 Alprazolam goes by the brand name Xanax, which is used to treat anxiety disorders. The brand name of Zolpidem is Ambien, which is taken for insomnia. 
 
 There were no signs of forced entry to Irons' hotel room and "nothing appeared out of the ordinary," the police report said. A wallet inside a backpack contained Irons' Hawaii driver's license, credit cards and cash, according to the report. 
 
 "A complete postmortem examination ... was essentially negative for trauma, and foul play is not suspected," the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office said in a statement yesterday. "Both the cause and manner of death are pending completion of postmortem laboratory studies." 
 
 Phil Irons was in Texas yesterday tending to his son's affairs and said that Irons died of dengue fever, a viral illness transmitted by mosquitoes in tropical climates. "He's gone. My son is gone," he said. 
 
 The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office on Tuesday told the Star-Advertiser that a container of Zolpidem actually contained methadone, a powerful controlled substance most commonly used for pain. 
 
 Before he flew to Dallas, en route to Hawaii, Irons had been scheduled to compete in Puerto Rico in the Rip Curl Pro Search leg of the Association of Surfing Professionals World Tour contest, which has a waiting period of Oct. 30 to Nov. 10, said Renato Hickel, ASP tour manager. 
 
 Irons had just finished competing in Portugal and arrived in Puerto Rico sometime last week, Hickel said yesterday from Puerto Rico. 
 
 On Saturday, Irons called Hickel to say that he was sick and could not compete, Hickel said. 
 
 "He could barely move out of his bed," Hickel said. "I asked him what kind of sickness and he said he had flu symptoms and it looked like a strong flu virus. He had aches and pains and all the symptoms. I discussed the fact that he missed round one because of the sickness and he was willing to miss round two as well." 
 
 Irons had checked into the Villa Tropical Oceanfront Apartments on Shacks Beach on the north-northwest end of Puerto Rico, where other ASP surfers were staying. 
 
 Hickel asked Irons whether he wanted to come to the competition site at a spot called "Middles" -- between the Puerto Rican towns of Isabela and Aguadilla -- to see the tour's American doctor. But Irons was too sick to leave his beachfront apartment, Hickel said. 
 
 "He said he'd rather have a doctor come to see him because he was sick," he said. 
 
 Hickel does not know whether a doctor treated Irons before Irons flew out of Puerto Rico on Sunday. 
 
 "That was our very last conversation," Hickel said. 
 
 He disputed reports that surfers on the ASP tour had contracted dengue fever in Portugal or Puerto Rico. 
 
 "That's not true," Hickel said. 
 
 A South African surfer also came down with flulike symptoms in Puerto Rico but still competed, he said. 
 
 Until Irons' death, Hickel said he had rarely heard of methadone, let alone seen any evidence that Irons might have been taking it. 
 
 "I never, never heard about that at all," he said. "I didn't even know what methadone was for until he died." 
 
 The Dallas/Fort Worth police report listed the date of Irons' Alprazolam and Zolpidem medications as Oct. 26. 
 
 Asked yesterday whether Irons would have any reason to possess meth-adone, Phil Irons said: "That's private family information. He is a 32-year-old man and I don't know everything he does. He was just trying to get home." 
 
 Irons arrived at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport at 6:30 a.m. Monday from Miami on American Airlines Flight 495, according to the police report. 
 
 He checked into the airport's Grand Hyatt Hotel in Terminal D at 8:47 a.m. Irons' room key was last used at 8:59 a.m., according to the police report. 
 
 When Irons did not answer his hotel room wake-up call Tuesday morning, police officers were dispatched at 9:43 a.m. and were escorted by hotel staff to conduct a "welfare check." 
 
 After Irons failed to answer a knock on the door, police discovered Irons lying in bed on his back, with the sheet pulled up to his neck. 
 
 "The bed covers and pillows were neatly set and nothing appeared out of the ordinary," according to the police report. 
 
 Phil Irons said Andy should have been back home on Kauai on Monday but was escorted off an American Airlines flight leaving Dallas. 
 
 "He was supposed to be in Hawaii at 2:30 p.m. Monday," Phil said. "When he went to get on the plane in Dallas, he was very ill and they wouldn't let him stay on the plane. They wouldn't even take care of him. They walked him to the gate and said, 'See ya, you're not flying today.' Instead of calling me or his wife or putting him in a hospital, they sent him off and he was by himself and he ends up going to a hotel and dying." 
 
 American Airlines spokeswoman Andrea Huguely said yesterday that Irons was booked on American Airlines Flight 123 from Dallas to Honolulu on Monday -- until a female relative called American's reservation employees two hours before boarding time to reschedule Irons' seat for the same flight Tuesday morning. 
 
 "American Airlines did not refuse or deny travel at any point for Mr. Irons," Huguely said. "Please pass along our condolences to the family. I am sure it is a very difficult time."
– Speculation is swirling around the death of surfing great Andy Irons after police found a variety of prescription drugs in his Dallas hotel room. Police reports indicate that Irons had generic versions of Ambien and Xanax, and the county medical examiner told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that one of the bottles actually contained methadone. But friends and family say the phenom didn’t have a drug problem. “The guess is that he probably took a sleeping pull to get a good night’s sleep and get on the plane the next morning,” Randy Rarick told ABC. It will likely be weeks before the medical examiner delivers an official cause of death. Friends still believe it’s most likely he died of illness, possibly a strain of Dengue fever contracted in Portugal.