Current number one surfer Mick Fanning has edged closer to his fourth world title despite the death of his brother hours before the winning heat.
Fanning, 34, broke down in an interview after competing in the third and fourth rounds of the Pipeline event in Hawaii.
“I’ve just got some personal stuff going on at home right now,” the Australian said, before being comforted by a World Surf League (WSL) reporter.
Earlier this year, Fanning escaped a shark attack in South Africa.
His sponsor Rip Curl confirmed his brother’s death in an email to the Dailyreleased.
“This is a private family matter however we can confirm [Mick’s] older brother Peter has passed away,” a spokesman for the surf retailer said.
It is not yet known how Peter Fanning died.
“It’s heavy to talk about right now, I’m just cruising and trying to live,” Mick Fanning said in his interview.
In July, his mother said she was overwhelmed by the live televised footage of his close encounter with the shark.
“I just saw my boy going down. That was absolutely terrifying because I have lost a son before,” Liz Osborne told Australian media.
Fanning’s other brother, Sean, died in a car accident in 1998.
Fanning returned to the water in his native Australia six days after the attack.
