BENGALURU: Spandana, the spouse of actor and National Award recipient Vijay Raghavendra, passed away after a sudden cardiac arrest during a family vacation in Bangkok, Thailand. She was 44.
It was reported that she was swiftly taken to a hospital for immediate medical attention, but could not be saved.
Spandana, the daughter of former police officer BK Shivaram, marked her entry into the film industry with a cameo role in Ravichandran’s 2017 film, Apoorva, and later made her mark as a producer with Kismat, a film starring Vijay Raghavendra.
Tragically, Spandana passed away just as the couple was to return home and prepare for their 16th wedding anniversary celebrations on August 26. Spandana and Vijay Raghavendra tied the knot in 2007 and have a son, Shourya.
Reports indicated that Spandana’s postmortem was completed, and her body is to be brought back to Bengaluru on Tuesday. The final rites are scheduled to be held on Wednesday.
CM, DyCM express grief
The news of her passing has deeply saddened her family, relatives and the Kannada film fraternity. Speaking to the media, a distraught Sriimurali, brother of Vijay Raghavendra, said, “My brother called and informed me that attige (sister-in-law Spandana) had travelled to Bangkok with her cousins, and anna (Vijay) joined them after completing his shooting schedule. After spending time together, she went to bed but did not wake up. We believe it could be due to low blood pressure, and we will await further details on their return. However, it is true that events unfolded in this manner.”
Notably, the family suffered a similar loss with cousin Puneeth Rajkumar succumbing to a fatal cardiac arrest. Additionally, Dhruwan, who is also related to the Rajkumar family, was involved in a grave accident, following which his right leg had to be amputated from the knee.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, and several other prominent figures expressed their heartfelt condolences to Spandana’s family through various social media platforms.
Congress leader BK Hariprasad, Shivaram’s older brother, confirmed the sequence of events leading to his niece’s untimely demise. He requested the media to avoid spreading rumours and to await the official autopsy report before discussing the cause of her death.