Harold Dow Asthma Attack Death?

Harold Dow was a broadcasting pioneer who helped break the racial barrier in Nebraska television.
Harold Dow's death took place yesterday. At first, the cause of death was not known but it has been revealed recently that Harold probably died of an Asthma Attack.
What is an Asthma Attack?
I'm not familiarized with the term. Is it some sort of disease Harold Dow had?

An asthma attack is a sudden worsening of asthma symptoms caused by the tightening of muscles around your airways. During the asthma attack, the lining of the airways also becomes swollen or inflamed and thicker mucus is produced. All of these factors can cause death in some cases.

Harold Dow, 62, had been diagnosed with adult onset asthma and he was actually in the hospital a few days ago for treatment of his asthmatic symptoms.
Dow's family issued a statement saying, he had been suffering from adult onset asthma and that the Hackensack Police Department found an inhaler on the floor of his vehicle. "Therefore, it is believed at this time that Harold succumbed to an asthma attack while behind the wheel," the statement says.

Harold Dow was an excellent professional. He won a Peabody Award for a "48 Hours" report on runaways. He also won five Emmys for work that included the coverage of the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, and of American troops' movement into Bosnia in 1996.