Michael Beck, the first person to report symptoms later linked to ‘Havana Syndrome,’ has died at age 65.
The retired National Security Agency (NSA) officer passed away on January 25 while out shopping, his daughter said. The exact cause of death has not yet been determined.
He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Rita Cicala, and also leaves behind his children, Ryan Lewis, Regan Gabrielle Beck and Grant Michael Beck.
Beck, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at 45, claimed the condition resulted from exposure to a directed-energy weapon during a 1996 overseas mission, decades before Havana Syndrome was officially recognized.
Havana Syndrome, first reported publicly in 2016 by US diplomats and intelligence personnel in Cuba, is a mysterious neurological condition marked by severe headaches, dizziness, ringing in the ears and cognitive difficulties, sometimes leaving victims debilitated.
Despite battling his illness and receiving little support from the government, Beck remained with the NSA until 2016, when his health forced him to step down.
In 2017, Beck told investigators he believed a weaponized microwave attack was slowly killing him, a claim that has fueled ongoing debate over the syndrome’s origins.
His case became a focal point in the ongoing investigation into Havana Syndrome, drawing attention to the mysterious illnesses affecting dozens of US government personnel overseas.
Michael Beck passed away on January 25. He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Rita Cicala (PICTURED), and also leaves behind his children, Ryan Lewis, Regan Gabrielle Beck and Grant Michael Beck.
Experts suspect that Havana Syndrome may be caused by exposure to a type of directed-energy weapon, which transmits concentrated energy toward a target.
The most commonly considered form is pulsed microwave radiation, which can penetrate soft tissue and potentially affect nerves and brain function without leaving visible marks.
High-intensity exposure is believed to cause headaches, dizziness, ringing in the ears, cognitive difficulties and fatigue.
Some researchers have also considered ultrasonic or sonic devices, which use sound waves above the range of human hearing.
Any suspected device would need to be covert, portable, and capable of targeting individuals across rooms or buildings, likely using pulsed emissions rather than continuous waves.
While investigations are ongoing, no device has been publicly confirmed, and much of the research remains classified. Scientists caution that other factors—such as environmental toxins, infections, or stress—could also contribute to the symptoms reported by affected government personnel.
Beck earned a degree in the administration of justice from Pennsylvania State University in 1983 and began his career with the US Secret Service.
In 1987, two years after his marriage, he transitioned to the NSA, where he would spend the bulk of his professional life.
In 1987, two years after his marriage, he transitioned to the NSA, where he would spend the bulk of his professional life
Then, in 1996, he and another agent, Charles Gubete, were sent to a ‘hostile country’ to assess the security of a facility abroad, The New York Times reported.
The mission was to determine if the country had installed listening devices in a US facility under construction.
The classified information in question prohibited Beck from disclosing any details about where he was, what the information was or any other identifying details of that mission.
During the second day of the mission, Beck said he and Gubete encountered a ‘technical threat’ at the site.
Speaking to The Guardian, he said: ‘I woke up, and I was really, really groggy. I was not able to wake up routinely. It was not a normal event. I had several cups of coffee, and that didn’t do a thing to get me going.’
The Pentagon purchased a weapon in 2026 believed to be the cause of the mysterious ‘Havana Syndrome’, insiders say. The device is believed to be a much smaller version of this high-power microwave generator
It took about 10 years before Beck began feeling unwell, and a visit to a neurologist determined he had developed Parkinson’s.
Parkinson’s disease is known to cause the deterioration of brain cells, though scientists do not fully understand why this occurs.
Genetics may play a role, but Parkinson’s does not follow family lines in the same predictable way as many other illnesses.
Beck told The Washington Post that, to his knowledge, no one else in his family had ever had the disease.
In 2012, Beck ran into Gubete at the NSA headquarters in Fort Meade, Maryland. Gubete, then 60, moved with a stiff, awkward gait that immediately caught Beck’s attention.
In 2017 (PICTURED), Beck told investigators he believed a weaponized microwave attack was slowly killing him, a claim that has fueled ongoing debate over the syndrome’s origins
Symptoms of Havana Syndrome include loud noise, ear pain, intense head pressure or vibration, dizziness, visual problems, and cognitive difficulties
‘He was slumped over and walking really awkwardly. I went up to him and said, ‘What’s going on?’ Beck told The Guardian.
Gubete then told Beck he had also been diagnosed with Parkinson’s.
A decade after his diagnosis, Beck obtained a classified report that he believed detailed the use of a microwave attack against him and fellow officer Gubete while they stayed in adjacent hotel rooms.
‘The National Security Agency confirms that there is intelligence information from 2012 associating the hostile country to which Mr. Beck traveled in the late 1990s with a high-powered microwave system weapon that may have the ability to weaken, intimidate, or kill an enemy over time and without leaving evidence,’ the report read.
‘I was sick in the stomach and shocked when I read that report,’ Mr. Beck told The Washington Post in 2017. ‘I am familiar with other things this hostile country does, and it just felt raw and unfair.’
Pictured is the US Embassy in Havana, taken in January 2025
Between 2016 and 2018, over 200 US government employees and diplomats reported experiencing similar symptoms, with the majority of cases linked to staff stationed at the US Embassy in Havana. Pictured are flags in front of the US Embassy
Radiation refers broadly to the release of energy, including low-energy radio waves and microwaves.
While microwaves are less strongly linked to cancer than higher-frequency waves, their potential effects on the nervous system remain a subject of debate.
Convinced that the incident had caused lasting damage, Beck filed a claim with the Department of Labor, asserting that his health had been irreversibly harmed on the job.
Then more government employees came forward to report similar symptoms after being deployed to Cuba, Russia and Canada, along with at least one case from Washington DC.
Between 2016 and 2018, over 200 US government employees and diplomats reported experiencing similar symptoms, with the majority of cases linked to staff stationed at the US Embassy in Havana.
The Foreign Policy Research Institute estimates that 1,500 American officials have suffered mysterious neurological injuries like Beck since 2016.
The cases drew national attention, from both the media and Congress, sparking scientific investigations. However, the research produced conflicting results.
A study conducted by the University of Pennsylvania found data supporting the possibility of a directed-energy attack.
While a separate investigation by the National Institutes of Health concluded there was no evidence linking such a device to the reported illnesses.
The exact details of the device linked to Havana Syndrome remain classified, though reports have suggested that certain components may have been produced in Russia.
