A GLAM soap star has died of a suspected heart attack just one day after celebrating her 35th birthday.
Ece İrtem – best known for playing Işıl in the popular Turkish TV series Cranberry Sorbet – collapsed in front of her devastated mother in her home.
Ece İrtem was famous for her roles in popular TV dramas such as One Love, Payitaht Abdulhamid and Kurulus Osman Credit: Jam Press
The young woman suddenly collapsed in her home in Istanbul Credit: Jam Press
Paramedics raced to her home in Istanbul, Turkey and desperately tried to revive the actress.
But the soap star tragically died at around midday on Monday, confirmed her lawyer Uğur Gökkoyun.
“The incident occurred at her home while she was with her mother”, he said, adding “initial findings suggest she died due to a heart attack”.
Ece had posted on social media just a day earlier thanking fans for their sweet birthday wishes.
The actress also featured in rom com Mr Wrong and several historical dramas.
Heart-breaking tributes have poured in for the young actress saying she was full of love and happiness.
“I cannot find the words. She was a person whose heart was full of love, energy and happiness.
“Living through this pain is truly very sad”, said Caglar Kuru, a friend from university.
Initial investigations suggest she died of a heart attack Credit: Jam Press
Tributes have poured in for the actress, hailing her warmth and generosity Credit: Jam Press
Rumours have circulated about the use of alcohol and anti-depressants in the run up to her death, reported Turkey Today.
But yesterday her lawyer came forward with another bombshell claim about the woman’s death – suggesting she may have been scratched by an infected monkey in Thailand.
Gökkoyun said that his client had been travelling in Thailand shortly before her death – and possibly caught a disease from a wild chimp.
Macaques are often seen outside temples in Thailand and can carry a host of infectious diseases including rabies and herpes.
But infectious disease expert Dr Mehmet Ceyhan shut down the claims and said other medical causes seemed a more likely explanation.
The exact cause of death has not yet been made public.
Ece has been buried at the Yenikoy Cemetery in her hometown province of Aydin.
But the funeral sparked a furious row after several people were spotted filming and taking photos of the coffin.
Footage of the moment went viral on social media and the fans were slammed for their disrespect towards the grieving family.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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