Yea, you know, someone posted this quite some time ago, and I always thought there was more to it! They had said that he died of a heart attack. It really didn't look like a heart attack to me. Thanks for clearing that up! I think it was the wooden paddle that made me think twice about the "heart" thingy.
I don't see any electrical hookups on the heater. It may be gas operated. With electrocution out he would have died of something other than boiling in water. IMHO