The preliminary autopsy report said the iconic singer died of a heart attack.
Singer KK's preliminary autopsy report has revealed he might have had underlying heart conditions that caused his sudden death after a performance in Kolkata yesterday, according to sources. The report said the iconic singer died of a likely heart attack, and also mentioned "myocardial infarction", which could have caused the pumping of blood to Krishnakumar Kunnath's heart to stop, sources said. If a person has latent heart disease for a long time, there is a possibility of myocardial infarction, sources say quoting the preliminary report.
"He had a major blockage in the left main coronary artery and small blockages in various other arteries and sub-arteries. Excessive excitement during the live show caused a stoppage of blood flow leading to cardiac arrest that claimed his life," a doctor who performed the autopsy told news agency PTI on condition of anonymity.
The late musician's wife had told the police that he had pain in his arms and shoulders before coming to Kolkata. The singer also had gastric problems and occasionally took antacids, according to sources.
"The vocalist had 80 per cent blockage in the left main coronary artery and small blockages in various other arteries and sub-arteries. None of the blockades was 100 per cent...During Tuesday's performance, the singer was walking around and at times dancing with the crowd which created excessive excitement that caused a stoppage of blood flow leading to cardiac arrest," the medical practitioner told PTI.
The doctor said that excessive excitement stopped blood flow for a few moments resulting in an irregular heartbeat for a very short time. "As a result, KK fell unconscious and had a cardiac arrest. If CPR had been given immediately, the artiste could have been saved," he said.
CPR is an emergency procedure comprising chest compressions as well as artificial ventilation to manually maintain brain function until further steps are taken to restore normal blood circulation and breathing in a person experiencing cardiac arrest.
The doctor said the autopsy revealed that the singer was on antacids "probably considering some pain which he mistook as digestive problems".
Incidentally, a senior officer of Kolkata Police said that the singer's wife has told them that KK used to take antacids. KK died on Tuesday night due to a massive cardiac arrest after a live performance at Nazrul Mancha in Kolkata.
The dead body of the singer was brought to his residence in Mumbai this morning where his last rites will be performed today according to a post shared on his social media handles.
The singer died while being taken to a hospital after a high-octane performance at a crowded Kolkata auditorium yesterday. Questions have been raised about the alleged lack of ventilation amid the extreme heat during the concert.
The staff of Nazrul Manch auditorium in south Kolkata, where KK's concert was held, said the venue was overcrowded. "Our seat capacity was 2,482 but the crowd was more than double the capacity. The crowd broke the gate," auditorium employee Chandan Maity told ANI.
KK was known for songs like 'Pal' and 'Yaaron', which went on to become big hits among teens in the late 1990s, often heard during school and college farewells and teen cultural events.