The NFL announced Monday that longtime official Carl Madsen died on Sunday at the age of 71 while en route to his home in Weldon Spring, Missouri, following the Tennessee Titans vs. Kansas City Chiefs game in Nashville.

The league’s senior vice president of officiating training and development, Walt Anderson, released a statement of Madsen’s passing. It was said that the cause of death was not immediately known. However, the police reported that Madsen died from a medical issue.

​​”Carl Madsen was an NFL officiating fixture for more than two decades, first as a highly respected on-field official before transitioning to a replay role beginning in 2009,” Anderson’s statement read. “A terrific friend and colleague, Carl’s love of football and dedication to officiating was ever-present, as he generously shared his time to mentor young officials at clinics across the country. A veteran of the Air Force, Carl had a tremendous spirit and will be greatly missed.”

According to Metro Nashville Police Department spokesman Don Aaron, police were first called at 4:46 p.m. CT about an SUV stalled in a lane on Interstate 65 North with the driver, who was later identified to be Madsen, being unconscious.

The police broke Madsen’s car’s window, removed him from the seat and performed first aid until the fire department arrived. He was then taken to St. Thomas Midtown Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Madsen served as an on-field official for 12 seasons from 1997-2008, per NFL.com. He then became a replay official in 2009. He served in three playoff games as an umpire and as a replay official in another four.