22.10.2026 15:11
Writer Cem Akaş and photographer Esra Özdoğan’s 19-year-old son Can has died of heart failure. Speaking after his son, who was preparing to study design in Milan, Akaş said he regretted not taking e-cigarettes more seriously.
Can Akaş, the 19-year-old son of Can Yayınları General Publishing Director and writer Cem Akaş and photographer Esra Özdoğan, passed away on October 19. While the family stated that the cause of death was heart failure, it was reported that the exact cause would be clarified by the report of the Council of Forensic Medicine.
HE WAS ABOUT TO BEGIN DESIGN STUDIES IN MILAN Can Akaş had been accepted into the design program at Domus Academy in Milan, Italy. The young man, who was preparing to go abroad within a few days for his education, was buried in Ümraniye Hekimbaşı Cemetery on October 20, following a ceremony held at Marmara İlahiyat Mosque.
Cem Akaş STATEMENT FROM HIS FATHER ABOUT E-CIGARETTES Speaking after the funeral, Cem Akaş said that his son used electronic cigarettes and that he had not previously taken the risks of this product seriously enough. Akaş said, “If I had taken what is called electronic cigarettes or liquid cigarettes more seriously, he would be alive right now.”
Akaş recounted that on the day of his son's death, they did not think he looked well, so they asked whether he was using substances. The father, who stated that he was relieved when Can said he only used electronic cigarettes, later said of this reaction, “I should not have calmed down.”