Nana Patekar died of heart attack after artery blockage, autopsy confirms

Actor Nana Patekar died of a heart attack caused by a blood clot in the left main coronary artery, according to the autopsy report on his mortal remains, a senior doctor at the state-run Goa Medical College and Hospital said on Sunday. The 75-year-old actor was taken from his home in Dona Paula, near Panaji, to a private hospital in the early hours of October 8, but could not be revived despite 45 minutes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. He was declared dead at 5.10 am.Patekar’s body was later taken to Goa Medical College and Hospital for an autopsy, and then flown to Pune before being transported to his farmhouse in Donje village, where he was cremated with full state honours.According to the doctor, Patekar suffered a heart attack after a blood clot blocked the left main coronary artery, which supplies blood to a large part of the heart. The post-mortem report recorded 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".Doctors at the private hospital had earlier said they suspected a heart attack. They said Patekar’s caretaker approached the medical facility and requested an ambulance, saying the actor was unwell. An ambulance was then sent to his apartment, which was within a kilometre of the hospital. Doctors said cardiopulmonary resuscitation was administered for 45 minutes, but he could not be revived. Last rites held in Pune with full state honoursPatekar’s son, Malhar, arrived in Goa to take his father’s body back. The body was taken to Pune before being moved to the family farmhouse in Donje village, near Khadakwasla on the outskirts of the city, where the last rites were held later that night with full state honours.Addressing questions about why the cremation was held that night, Malhar said the family felt considerable time had already passed since the tragedy took place early that morning, and so they decided to perform the last rites the same day. He also spoke about carrying forward his father’s legacy through the Naam Foundation, which works in areas such as water conservation, education and healthcare. Among those who attended the funeral were Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Union Ministers Ramdas Athawale and Murlidhar Mohol, Lok Sabha MP Sunil Tatkare, Minister of Higher and Technical Education Chandrakant Patil, former Maharashtra State Women’s Commission chairperson Roopali Chakankar, Bhai Jagtap, NAAM Foundation co-founder and actor Makarand Anaspure, FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe, actors Jackie Shroff and Pravin Tarde, filmmaker Sajid Nadiadwala, director Anil Sharma, and several personalities from Bollywood, politics, sports and other fields.A look at Nana Patekar’s illustrious film careerPatekar began his screen journey with Gaman in 1978 after starting out in Marathi theatre, and over the years built a body of work that moved between intense drama, vulnerability, menace and comedy. He later continued working across Hindi and Marathi cinema in films such as The Vaccine War, Vanvaas, Housefull 5 and O’Romeo. His work earned him three National Film Awards, several Filmfare honours and the Padma Shri.- Ends(With Inputs from PTI)