Ezel Actor Serhat Mustafa Kilic Found Dead at 51

Turkish actor Serhat Mustafa Kilic, known to audiences in the region for his role in the series Ezel, has been found dead in his apartment in Istanbul. He was 51, and the news broke on September 6.

Kilic lived in Istanbul’s Kagithane district. His girlfriend found him after he had gone several days without answering his phone. Worried, she went to the apartment and knocked on the door. Nobody answered. She let herself in and found him motionless on the couch in the living room.

She immediately called the police and an ambulance. Emergency crews arrived quickly, but the doctors could only confirm that he was already dead.

Bruises on the body, no signs of violence

An initial examination of the body turned up something that caught investigators’ attention. Bruises were found on the actor’s body, around his eyes, on his arms and on his legs. There were no open wounds, cuts or other visible traces of violence.

His girlfriend told police that Kilic had been ill for a long time. According to her, he had been battling lymphoma, cancer of the lymph nodes. Some Turkish media add that he also had thyroid problems. Neither diagnosis has officially been linked to his death.

Until his death, the public had no idea the actor was fighting a serious illness. Details about the lymphoma and the thyroid problems only came out through the statement his girlfriend gave police after his body was found.

She also said that Kilic had been drinking far more alcohol in recent months than before. Turkish media are treating that as an additional lead in the investigation, but there is no official confirmation that alcohol played a role in his death.

What was found in the apartment

During the on-site investigation, police found bottles of alcohol and rolling papers in the apartment, known in Turkish as “carsaf.” According to Turkish media, these papers are often used to roll cigarettes containing banned substances. Some sources in Turkey claim a certain quantity of drugs was also found in the apartment, though that information has not been officially confirmed either.

The exact cause of death will only be known after an autopsy. Turkish police have officially opened an investigation and are looking into every circumstance, from the actor’s health to what was found in his apartment.

Regional media are largely reporting the case by citing the same sources. Serbian outlets have taken some of the details about the discovery of the body and the police response from the Bosnian portal Klix.ba, while information about the bruises and the items found in the apartment relies on Turkish newspapers. An official statement from the Istanbul police confirming the cause of death has not yet been released.

The Ezel actor

Serhat Mustafa Kilic was born on July 8, 1975, in Ankara, where he studied acting at Bilkent University, one of Turkey’s most prestigious schools. He built his career over decades, working in theater, film and television.

He is best known to audiences in the region for his role in Ezel, which drew record ratings here at the time. He also appeared in the series Soz, Seksenler and Kurulus: Osman. On film, he left his mark in Kis Uykusu, Veda, Nokta and Mavzer.

The case will remain open until the autopsy has the final word. Until then, everything that is known comes from his girlfriend’s statement and from what police found in the apartment: unexplained bruises, a cancer diagnosis the public never knew about, and items that gave investigators reason to look closely at the final days of Serhat Mustafa Kilic’s life.