Kannada star Puneeth Rajkumar aged 46 died on Friday due to a massive heart attack after reportedly going for a workout at the gym.Puneeth Rajkumar’s untimely death due to a heart attack on Friday, October 29 has come as a shock to the whole of Karnataka and outside it as well. The actor, who was only 46 years old, reportedly complained of uneasiness before hitting the gymnasium on Friday.
Puneeth Rajkumar, or Appu as he was fondly known, was a big advocate of fitness and keeping good health. He was known to perform his own stunts in films, and was known for high-intensity workouts. He was also the ambassador of the ‘Prevent Premature Heart Attack’ initiative of the Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research Institute in Bengaluru in 2017. Puneeth’s family has a history of heart attacks, as even his father and Kannada icon Dr Rajkumar passed away due to a heart attack in 2006, at the age of 76. Puneeth’s older brother Shiva Rajkumar had also suffered a heart attack in 2015.
However, lately, there has been a rise in the number of young people suffering heart attacks. Heart attacks are caused by blockages in coronary arteries, which prevent blood and therefore oxygen from reaching the muscles. An unchecked heart attack can lead to a cardiac arrest. The most common factors that can lead to a heart attack include obesity, smoking, unhealthy lifestyles, and a family history of the disease. However, they are mostly caused by a combination of factors, and there is no one formula to keep healthy that would suit everybody. In Puneeth’s case, many doctors have pointed out that he has a genetic predisposition as others in his family too had cardiac issues, and was therefore more susceptible.
