Riddle

Originally posted by mjolnir
A heart attack seems perfectly feasible. Fields do contain rocks.

Originally posted by coquette
The man is dead and the rock is a headstone covers all the conditions of the puzzle. I like that answer.

Originally posted by SwissGambit
I'm not sure it does. "Nothing around him" is a bit vague, but seems to rule out things like a casket.

Originally posted by SwissGambit
Did the man cause his own death?

Did someone kill him?

Originally posted by twilight2007
Did he die due to disease?

Is his/her identity important?

Is the rock important?

The rock is radioactive and he was lying down to rest and got radiation poisoning.

(Not a real possibility, as no natural concentration of radiation would kill that quickly)

his clothes are weird people! That can't not be important.

Are they specialist gear? (like, hiking or parachuting)
Is he dressed up as something other than a man?
Is he wearing a cape?

Originally posted by coquette
The rock is radioactive and he was lying down to rest and got radiation poisoning.

(Not a real possibility, as no natural concentration of radiation would kill that quickly)

The man is not really alive but is a carefully-made mannequin purchased by the family of toadstool dryads that live under the rock.

Or underneath the rock is a stick of polonium.

Originally posted by doodinthemood
his clothes are weird people! That can't not be important.

Are they specialist gear? (like, hiking or parachuting)
Is he dressed up as something other than a man?
Is he wearing a cape?

Originally posted by doodinthemood
his clothes are weird people! That can't not be important.

Are they specialist gear? (like, hiking or parachuting)
Is he dressed up as something other than a man?
Is he wearing a cape?

Originally posted by AThousandYoung
I don't want to bogart the thread. I'll let the OP answer.

Originally posted by coquette
The rock is radioactive and he was lying down to rest and got radiation poisoning.

(Not a real possibility, as no natural concentration of radiation would kill that quickly)

Superman, the rock is kryptonite, he was killed by Lex Luther, who lured him to his death by telling him that Lois Lane would be there. Lois Lane was actually in Iowa covering the caucuses, so the ruse was quite plausible.

I was about to say exactly the same thing!