I read about Rene Favalaro's tragic death as a fleeting news item in the inside pages of the newspaper. The surgeon who pioneered coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) using saphenous vein graft had committed suicide on July 24, 2000, at his home in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was 77 and was apparently suffering from depression. However, it was only some time later that the shocking details emerged about his suicide.