(Photo from Twitter: @NBCOlympicTalk) NEW YORK (77 WABC) -- Kurt Thomas, who gained acclaim as the first U.S. male gymnast to win a world championship gold medal, has died. He was 64. He had a stroke May 24, caused by a tear of the basilar artery in the brain stem.“Yesterday, I lost my universe, my best friend and my soulmate of 24 years. Kurt Thomas, the first U.S. male gymnast to win a world championship gold medal, has died. While competing in the … American men had struggled to break through internationally before Thomas' arrival. He was 64. He was an innovator on pommel horse -- where the "Thomas Flair" was entered into the Code of Points -- and the floor exercise, where his "Thomas Salto" dismount was considered so dangerous it was eventually banned from competition. At the 1978 world championships in Strasbourg, France, Kurt used his signature skill, a dismount called the “Thomas Salto," on the floor exercise to win the first world championship gold medal for the U.S. men’s gymnastics program. He had a stroke May 24, caused by a tear of the basilar artery in the brain stem. Thomas’ family said he died Friday. He was 64.Thomas’ family said he died Friday. After competing in the 1976 Montreal Olympics, Thomas won the floor exercise in the 1978 world championships in … Kurt Thomas, the first U.S. male gymnast to win a world championship gold medal, has died.