Brett McMichael, a 52-year-old grandfather of seven from Georgia, was left brain dead after a 700-pound headstone collapsed on top of him while he was volunteering at a cemetery. His family has since decided, after consulting his medical team, to remove him from life support, marking a tragic end to what relatives described as a final act of kindness.

The accident happened on 26 June at the cemetery of Juliette United Methodist Church in Juliette, about 70 miles south of Atlanta. McMichael had been cutting grass alongside his father and another person and was using a strap to level a monument on a gravesite so the group could mow around it when the stone suddenly fell, knocking him unconscious. He was airlifted to a hospital in Macon, placed on a ventilator and underwent surgery to remove part of his skull to relieve swelling on his brain. His daughter-in-law, Grace McMichael, announced on a GoFundMe page that the family had decided to withdraw life support this Thursday.