World · Middle East · 5 hrs ago
Family calls for e-cigarette awareness after 19-year-old’s death
Can Akaş, the 19-year-old son of writer Cem Akaş and photographer Esra Özdoğan, died suddenly in Istanbul on 19 October.
His father said the stated cause of death was heart failure, but the family believes e-cigarette use may have contributed.
A forensic report is still needed to determine the confirmed cause of death.
Akaş was preparing to move to Milan to study design when he died.
E-cigarettes can expose users to nicotine and other harmful substances, and their long-term health effects are not fully known.
His father says young people and parents need more awareness of vaping risks.
He and Özdoğan say they will work to raise awareness.
Nineteen-year-old Can Akaş died suddenly on 19 October, and his family is calling for greater awareness of e-cigarette risks.
His father, writer Cem Akaş, said the cause of death was heart failure and blamed e-cigarette use.
The family said the official cause would be confirmed after a report from Turkey’s Forensic Medicine Institute.
Cem Akaş said parents and young people do not know enough about the possible harm e-cigarettes can cause.
Can Akaş was buried in Istanbul on 20 October, before he was due to travel to Milan for design studies.
- Who
- Can Akaş, 19, the son of Cem Akaş and Esra Özdoğan.
- What
- He died suddenly; his father said the cause was heart failure and blamed e-cigarette use.
- When
- He died on 19 October 2026.
- Where
- Istanbul. He was buried at Hekimbaşı Cemetery in Ümraniye.
- Why
- His father said he died of heart failure and blamed e-cigarette use; the official cause was pending a forensic report.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Can Akaş died suddenly.
He was buried in Ümraniye’s Hekimbaşı Cemetery after a funeral in Istanbul.
Cem Akaş called for greater awareness of e-cigarette risks.
- Age
- 19
- Date of death
- 19 October 2026
- Cause stated by father
- Heart failure
- Burial place
- Hekimbaşı Cemetery, Ümraniye, Istanbul
- Planned studies
- Design program at Domus Academy in Milan
3 sources
What people are saying
Can potansiyeli olan bir gençti, yetenekliydi; ben elektronik sigara ya da sıvı sigara denen mereti daha ciddiye almış olsaydım şu anda hayattaydı.
Bu masum görünümlü sigaranın akciğerde yarattığı tahribatı ebeveynler de gençler de yeterince bilmiyor.