Mourning the loss of a football icon, the Penn State community is coming together Tuesday to pay respects to legendary former head football coach Joe Paterno. A public viewing is being held through Wednesday before a private funeral that afternoon.

Paterno died Sunday at the age of 85 from lung cancer, but some do not believe that's why he passed away. Many wonder if his death was from a broken heart after his passion, football, was over. Paterno died just over two months after being fired in the wake of the child sex abuse scandal involving former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.

Paterno's family says, like in life, he fought until the very end. However, many on the Penn State campus feel strongly that he was dealing with more than physical health problems. "Penn State was his life and Joe Paterno was Penn State so I definitely think he died of a broken heart in some respect," said Caroline Goggin, a Penn State student. "He built this university without a doubt I believe he died of broken heart."

Students at Penn State aren't the only ones who feel that way. Bobby Bowden, former Florida State coach, was Paterno's friend and football rival for 50 years. "It seemed like he got hit with everything at one time," Bowden said. "And many times I was thinking how in the world can he handle all that. I got a feeling a broken heart played a big role in him passing."

Bowden remembers what happened to another famed football coach, Paul Bear Bryant, who once said, 'Quit coaching, I'd croak within a week.' One month after Bryant retired, the former Alabama coach died from a heart attack. "At least he got to retire. He thought he might croak in a week at least he lasted a month, Bowden said."

But can someone literally die from a broken heart? Can you simply give up the will to live after losing a spouse or leaving a lifelong career? Cartoonist Charles Schulz died shortly after he announced his retirement. So did 60 Minutes commentator Andy Rooney. Some research shows the idea of having a broken heart is not a myth. "If all of sudden the thing that you love most is taken away from you there is some very powerful physiologic responses such as the stress hormones that we were talking about that can affect the way blood flows to the heart and can affect how well you can fight off infection," said Dr. Ilan Wittstein, from the John Hopkins University School of Medicine.

In November, we learned Paterno had a treatable form of cancer. In his final interview, Paterno said he wished he had done more to respond to the sexual abuse allegations against assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. The University later fired Paterno after some 60 years of service.

It was a strong, emotional blow for a man who, by all accounts, dedicated his life to Penn State.

Do you think you can really die of a broken heart? Do you think it led to Paterno's death? Leave your thoughts below.

This is today's Facebook Story of the Day. To help pick the story, click here.

Information courtesy of CNN and Associated Press.