BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. (AP) — Authorities say a Vermont man who stood up to speak at Town Meeting collapsed and was later pronounced dead at a hospital.

John Fuchs of Bellows Falls was standing up to speak Monday night about the ongoing renovations to the library at the Rockingham Town Meeting.

The Eagle-Times reports (http://bit.ly/WspdV3) he suffered seizure-like symptoms, dropped the microphone and fell back into his chair about 7:30 p.m. Audience members performed CPR on him for about 15 minutes as emergency crews arrived at the Bellows Falls Opera House.

First responders used a defibrillator on Fuchs several times as he lay motionless in the aisle before he was taken to Springfield Hospital.

Selectboard Chairman Thomas MacPhee announced Fuchs’ death at 10:11 p.m. Selectman Stefan Golec led a moment of silence for him.

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