KOLKATA: Playback singer Krishnakumar Kunnath, popularly known as KK, had multiple arterial blockages that appear to have caused a cardiac arrest. The 53-year-old artiste died soon after giving a live performance in the city on Tuesday.
KK’s preliminary post-mortem report, conducted at the state-run SSKM Hospital on Wednesday, points out that the singer died of a likely heart attack and that “myocardial infarction’’ could have stopped blood flow to his heart.
“He had a major blockage in one of the main coronary arteries and small blockages in other arteries and sub-arteries. The singer had 80 per cent blockage in the left coronary artery and small blockages in other arteries,’’ said a doctor of SSKM Hospital.
Cardiologists said if a person has latent heart disease for a long time, there is a possibility of myocardial infarction — a deadly medical emergency when the heart muscles begin to die because of inadequate blood flow.
After reaching the hotel, the singer collapsed when he was about to sit on a sofa. Before that, he complained of uneasiness while returning from the event, and asked his driver to turn off the air-conditioner of the vehicle.
Sources in the Kolkata police said antacids were recovered from the room of the hotel where KK was staying. “His wife also told us that the singer used to be on antacids on a regular basis,’’ said a police officer.
Cardiologists said many people ignore the early signs of heart disease, mistaking it for digestion problems.
“It seems that blood flow to the singer’s heart stopped following excessive excitement during the live performance. The problem started either during the show or immediately after the event, when he complained of uneasiness. If CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) had been given immediately, his life could have been saved,’’ said a cardiologist of the hospital.