Veteran actor Nana Patekar’s sudden death on Thursday morning has an official medical explanation. A postmortem at Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) has confirmed that the 75-year-old died of a heart attack after a blood clot blocked the left main coronary artery, the vessel that supplies blood to a large part of the heart.
Patekar’s caretaker called for an ambulance, and doctors performed CPR for 45 minutes before the actor was declared dead at 5:10 am. The postmortem report records the cause as a natural cardiac event, not an injury or any other cause.
What the autopsy found
The report points to a clot that stopped blood flow to the heart muscle. In plain terms, the artery was already narrowed by disease, and a clot formed there triggered the heart attack. The hospital has described the cause as “acute myocardial infarction due to left main coronary artery thrombosis” — a clinical way of saying a blocked main artery caused heart muscle damage.
That distinction matters because initial reports had said “cardiac arrest”. The autopsy finding places the heart attack first: the blocked artery cut off blood, and the heart stopped as a result.
The career he leaves behind
Patekar’s body of work stretched for more than four decades across Hindi and Marathi cinema. He was also a writer and director, and was honoured with the Padma Shri in 2013 for his contribution to cinema and the arts.
- Hindi film debut in Muzaffar Ali’s Gaman in 1978.
- Directorial debut with Prahaar: The Final Attack, where he played an Army officer.
- Last screen appearance in Subedaar, released on Prime Video in 2026, with Anil Kapoor and Radhika Madan.
- A surprise cameo in Subedaar became his final bow.
His son Malhar travelled to Goa to take the body back. The late actor was cremated with full state honours at his farmhouse in Donje village, Pune.
Why the industry turned up
The funeral brought together Bollywood, politics and sport. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, Union Ministers Ramdas Athawale and Murlidhar Mohol, Lok Sabha MP Sunil Tatkare, Makarand Anaspure, FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe and Jackie Shroff were among those who paid their respects.
Patekar was an actor who could move from menacing to vulnerable without raising his voice. That range is why the goodbye feels so heavy for audiences who grew up watching him.
Source: Hindustan Times
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