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Authorities have launched an investigation following the death of prominent Turkish actor Serhat Mustafa Kilic, who was found dead in his Istanbul apartment.
The 51-year-old actor was discovered by his girlfriend, Ozlem Esmergul, after she went to check on him following days of no contact. Kilic was found unresponsive, seated in an armchair in the living room, showing no signs of breathing, his body already cold. Emergency services were called to the Nurtepe neighborhood residence in the Kagithane district, where paramedics officially pronounced him dead at the scene.
The actor's body was taken to the Forensic Medicine Institute for an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.
Security camera footage from Kilic's building shows what appear to be his final moments. He is seen arriving home and leaning against a wall while waiting for the elevator before heading for the stairs when it didn't come.
According to Esmergul's police statement, the two had been together for roughly eight years.
She said that on Sep. 3, Kilic failed to show up for a scheduled shoot, and when she called to check on him, he explained he was in significant pain from a herniated disc in his neck and that medication hadn't provided relief.
He told her he would inform his manager about missing the shoot.
Around 4:00 p.m. that same day, Kilic called Esmergul again. Sounding tearful, he told her he had been removed from the set, felt deeply distressed, and could not get his pain under control. He ended the call by stating he did not want to speak to anyone.
Hoping to give him space to recover, Esmergul did not push further, later assuming his lack of response to follow-up texts and calls was due to either a need for privacy or drowsiness from his medication.
Growing increasingly worried when she found his phone switched off around 5:00 p.m. on Sept. 5, Esmergul decided to go to his home to check on him. In her official statement, she also clarified that, to her knowledge, the actor had no history of alcohol or substance addiction.
News of Kilic's death drew a crowd of grieving friends and colleagues to his building, where crime scene investigators were still working inside.
Among those who rushed to the scene was actor Eren Vurdem, his former co-star from the series "Soz."
Vurdem appeared visibly distressed at the scene and stayed close to Kilic's relatives; he was also seen trying to block cameras from filming the moment.
As Esmergul was taken to the police station to give her statement, a distraught Vurdem stood by her side.
Vurdem struggled to hold back tears at the scene. Kilic's family and friends waited for an extended period in the building's garden as police completed their investigation, after which his body was removed and taken to the Forensic Medicine Institute morgue.
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