What caused Nana Patekar’s death? Autopsy points to blood clot in major heart artery

The 75-year-old actor was rushed to a private hospital from his home in Dona Paula, near Panaji, in the early hours of October 8.

PANAJI: Actor Nana Patekar died of a heart attack after a blood clot blocked the left main coronary artery, which supplies blood to a large part of the heart, according to his autopsy report, a senior doctor at the state-run Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) said on Sunday. The postmortem confirmed the cause of death as “acute myocardial infarction due to left main coronary artery thrombosis secondary to atherosclerotic occlusive coronary artery disease, a natural cause of death”, news agency PTI reported.

The 75-year-old actor was rushed to a private hospital from his home in Dona Paula, near Panaji, in the early hours of October 8. His caretaker had approached the hospital seeking an ambulance, saying Patekar was unwell. The ambulance was sent to his apartment, located within a kilometre of the hospital. Doctors administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for 45 minutes, but Patekar could not be revived. He was declared dead at 5.10am, with a doctor suspecting a heart attack. His mortal remains were subsequently taken to GMCH for an autopsy.

Patekar's son, Malhar, arrived in Goa to take his father's body back. It was taken to Pune before being transported to the family's farmhouse in Donje village, where the actor was cremated with full state honours. Maharashtra deputy chief minister Sunetra Pawar, Union ministers Ramdas Athawale and Murlidhar Mohol, Lok Sabha MP Sunil Tatkare, NAAM Foundation co-founder and actor Makarand Anaspure, FDA commissioner Tukaram Mundhe, actor Jackie Shroff and several other personalities from Bollywood, politics and sports attended the funeral.