or TMPRSS2 receptors which the virus can attached to...Lungs, Kidneys, Heart, Brain...Therefore, if there are persons with pre-existing conditions in those organs, they are susceptible to more serious illness, and possibly death...and were it not for being infected with COVID-19, those people would have continued living with treatable conditions...i.e. the infection with COVID-19 ended their lives. The pathophysiology is irrelevant to the patient and his/her family members.
Note that people with underlying health conditions represented the majority of deaths (70.4%)...but Not All deaths from COVID-19, since otherwise healthy people died as well (29.6%) (fm Cambridge University, Won-Young Choi)
Link: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9901898/