Panaji, India – Veteran actor Nana Patekar passed away at his Goa residence during the early hours of Thursday after suffering a cardiac arrest, a Goa doctor said. Patekar was 75 years old and was brought to a private hospital after he was found unconscious at his apartment in Dona Paula, near Goa’s Panaji region.
Dr. Shekhar Salkar, Chief of Oncology Department at Manipal Hospital, said, “He was in an unresponsive state when the medical team was called at home. The team found him in an unconscious state and he gave CPR for almost 45 minutes to one hour. He was declared dead at 5:20 am.” A medico-legal case has been registered in this connection, and a postmortem would be conducted, he added.
As per information provided by a friend of Patekar to the hospital doctors, the actor had messaged him around 3.30 a.m. that he was not feeling well. “The friend saw the message around 4 a.m. and rushed to the apartment of Patekar, who was living with a caretaker,” Dr. Salkar said. The body has been sent to Goa Medical College and Hospital, Bambolim, where the postmortem would be conducted to ascertain the exact cause of death.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant expressed his condolences and said, “Shocked and deeply saddened to learn about the demise of veteran actor Nana Patekarji. With his remarkable journey across theatre, Hindi and Marathi cinema, his powerful performances and distinctive artistry left an indelible mark on Indian cinema.” Union Minister Nitin Gadkari also remembered him, calling him a great soul and said, “The work he did in the rural areas of Maharashtra in the fields of water conservation and watershed management through the ‘Naam Foundation’ is significant. The helping hand he extended to the families of farmers who committed suicide became a support for many families.”
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His fellow actor Prakash Raj cherished moments spent with Patekar, saying, “Miss you my dear Nana ji.. Will cherish the moments spent..conversations.. arguments.. the food you cooked.. knowledge you shared. Thank you for coming into my life’s journey.” Patekar was a recipient of three National Film Awards, several Filmfare Awards, the Maharashtra State Film Award, and Filmfare Awards Marathi. He had also received the Padma Shri, the country’s fourth-highest civilian honour. Congress leader Harshwardhan Sapkal also paid his homage, saying, “He was a sensitive personality marked by outstanding acting and had social awareness and a touch of humanity. Nana Patekar will forever remain in our memories.”
