Nana Patekar died of heart attack caused by blood clot, autopsy confirms

Veteran actor Nana Patekar died of a heart attack caused by a blood clot blocking his left main coronary artery, according to an autopsy report from Goa Medical College.

Doctors classified the 75-year-old actor's death as natural, citing acute myocardial infarction due to left main coronary artery thrombosis secondary to atherosclerotic occlusive coronary artery disease. A panel of doctors performed the post-mortem examination at the state-run facility in Bambolim following his death on October 8.

What happened on the morning of his death

Patekar had been staying at his apartment in Dona Paula, near Panaji, when he fell ill in the early hours of Thursday, October 8. Police inquiries revealed that the actor sent a WhatsApp message to family friend Amey Naik at around 2:30 am stating he was not feeling well, followed by a phone call.

Naik saw the message at around 3:30 am and went immediately to the apartment. He found Patekar dressed and seated on a sofa before the actor lost consciousness. Naik and Patekar's caretaker alerted the building watchman to request an emergency vehicle from nearby Manipal Hospital, located less than a kilometre away.

Medical staff arrived and transported Patekar to the hospital at around 4:30 am. Hospital doctors administered CPR for 45 minutes, but were unable to revive him. He was declared dead at 5:10 am.

Police inquiry and state funeral

Panaji police registered a case under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, following procedure for deaths occurring outside medical care. Officers recorded statements from Patekar's son, Malhar, and his nephew, Prasad Parkar. Both confirmed to police that they did not suspect any foul play.

Following the autopsy, his body was handed over to his son and taken to Pune, before being brought to the family's farmhouse in Donje village, where he was cremated with full state honours.

The funeral was attended by political figures and film industry colleagues, including Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, Union Ministers Ramdas Athawale and Murlidhar Mohol, Lok Sabha MP Sunil Tatkare, actor Jackie Shroff, and NAAM Foundation co-founder Makarand Anaspure.