What Causes Shortness Of Breath While Mourning The Demise Of Family Members?

Hi. My father in law passed away several years ago. When he passed he had just gotten out of the shower and was coming into the livingroom. We was experiencing shortness of breath and he collapsed and started bleeding uncontrollably from the mouth. He died within minutes. His father, uncle, and grandfather all passed the same way at the exact same age. 911 was called and he was taken to the hospital but the hospital never told us what could have caused it. They only said that he did not suffer and basically suffocated on his own blood. I m curious what this could be because I d like to have my husband and son screened for it.