ALBAWABA – Turkish comedian and actor Cem Yılmaz has been hospitalized after suffering a serious heart problem in Çanakkale, with doctors now providing an update on his condition.
Yılmaz became unwell at his home in Paşaköy, in the Ayvacık district of Çanakkale, and experienced chest pain. He called Turkey’s 112 emergency service and was taken by ambulance to Ayvacık State Hospital. He was later transferred to Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University Hospital for further treatment.
Doctors at the university hospital performed an angiography after Yılmaz was admitted to the coronary intensive care unit.
Prof. Dr. Ercan Akşit, the cardiologist who carried out the procedure, said Yılmaz arrived conscious and was immediately taken to the angiography laboratory.
According to Akşit, Yılmaz had suffered a heart attack affecting the front wall of the heart. Doctors completed the procedure in approximately 40 minutes, inserting a balloon and stent through the wrist to open the artery connected to the heart attack.
Akşit said Cem Yılmaz’s condition is currently stable and that he remains under observation in intensive care. The doctor explained that the medical team plans to monitor him for around two days, provided his condition continues to remain stable.
The cardiologist also emphasized the importance of how quickly Yılmaz received treatment. He said emergency teams at Ayvacık State Hospital acted rapidly and that Yılmaz reached specialist care within roughly two hours after his chest pain began. According to the doctor, the prompt intervention helped prevent extensive heart tissue damage and heart failure.
There is also a slight difference in how the episode has been described publicly.
While Cem Yılmaz’s treating cardiologist specifically described the incident as a heart attack, his brother, writer Can Yılmaz, referred to it as a heart spasm in his statement about his brother’s condition.
Can Yılmaz said Cem’s condition was good and that the necessary intervention had been carried out without delay. He added that his brother was resting under the supervision of his doctors and thanked those who had contacted the family and sent their good wishes.
Turkey’s Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu also issued an update, saying that the necessary medical interventions had been successfully completed and that Yılmaz’s general condition was good. The minister confirmed that his treatment and monitoring were continuing in the coronary intensive care unit.
Cem Yılmaz’s doctor also said that another smaller side artery would be examined in greater detail. At this stage, it is not certain whether it will require another procedure, as medication may be sufficient.
The 53-year-old comedian is now resting under medical supervision as doctors continue to monitor his recovery.
News of Yılmaz’s hospitalization quickly attracted widespread attention in Turkey, with fans and fellow members of the entertainment industry expressing concern for one of the country’s best-known comedians.
For now, the latest official updates remain reassuring: Yılmaz is conscious, his condition is stable, and his doctors say the emergency intervention was successfully completed. He is expected to remain in hospital for observation before doctors decide on his discharge.
