Popular actor Tridsadee "Por" Sahawong died on Monday morning, five days short of his 36th birthday, after more than two months in a coma brought on by dengue haemorrhagic fever.
He had been comatose for 70 days, since being admitted to Ramathibodi Hospital. He is survived by his wife and their two-year old daughter.
Por had gone through lengthy treatment as doctors battled to save his life, undergoing several operations. His left foot was amputated above the ankle in late November and his left lung was removed in December.
According to the hospital announcement, Por had been treated after admission for severe dengue that stimulated his white blood corpuscles to destroy other blood cells. This caused internal bleeding of his left lung, resulting in respiratory failure and sudden kidney failure.
He had been kept in a critical but stable condition, which required intensive care and machine-assisted breathing, heart and kidney functions. Surgeons operated to stop the bleeding.
The statement said that while Por was in treatment, there were complications such as blood clotting that led to the amputation of his left foot, and bacterial infections in both lungs that led to the removal of the left lung. He was bleeding repeatedly in the stomach and colon, and that required a colonoscopy from time to time to staunch it.
At the beginning of January the infection in his right lung had re-emerged and his condition had begin to decline. Ultimately, he did not respond to treatment and died quietly at 11.50am on Monday, Jan 18.
Por was born on Jan 23, 1980 in Buri Ram. He began his career in the entertainment industry with a commercial and later acted in 28 television soap operas. The latest one, Sao Noi Roi Lan (Millionaire Girl), is currently airing on Channel 3.
Por was also an ambassador of the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) and worked on other charity projects.
His body will be moved to his hometown for funeral rituals at Wat Klang in Buri Ram. The cremation is set for Sunday.