A Chicago man who died of cyanide poisoning just before he was to collect $425,000 in lottery winnings had been inspired by a pilgrimage to lead a better life and stop gambling.

7-Eleven store clerk Ashur Oshana said Urooj Khan had told him he was going to stop playing the lottery after being on the hajj in Saudi Arabia. But Khan bought his winning scratch-off ticket anyway and gave Oshana a $100 tip.

Khan’s lump-sum check was cut by the state Comptroller’s Office on July 19. Khan died July 20, and the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office said he died of natural causes.

But a relative asked for a deeper examination, and the results showed Khan was killed by cyanide poisoning.

His death is now classified as a homicide.