Sunjay Kapur, a prominent Indian businessman, died on Thursday after collapsing during a polo match in Windsor, England. He was 53.
His cause of death was a “sudden heart attack” as Sona Comstar, an automotive component company where Kapur was chairperson, wrote in a statement on X.
Per The Telegraph and The Mirror, Kapur reportedly swallowed a bee during the match, which potentially sent him into anaphylactic shock and triggered his heart attack. A witness told The Telegraph that they heard Kapur say “I’ve swallowed something” ahead of his collapse.
Sunjay Kapur during Bhopal Pataudi Polo Cup 2014 at the Jaipur Polo ground on October 26, 2014 in New Delhi, India. (Photo by Raajessh Kashyap/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)Hindustan Times via Getty Images
Kapur was an avid polo player and also the owner of the Aureus polo team. However, at the time of his death, he was playing a match on Guards Polo Club’s Smith Lawn, as the club revealed on Instagram. Guard’s Polo Club has very close ties to the royal family. In fact, Kapur often played with members of the British royal family, including Prince William.
Kapur was previously married to Bollywood star Karisma Kapoor from 2003 to 2016. They welcomed two children together, daughter Samaira, 20, and son Kiaan, 14. Following their split, Kapur wed model Priya Sachdev in 2017. They shared a son, Azarias, 7.
Hours before his death, Kapur paid tribute to those killed during the Air India crash that morning. “Terrible news of the tragic Air India crash in Ahmedabad. My thoughts and prayers are with all the families affected. May they find strength in this difficult hour,” he wrote on X.
Prince William has not publicly commented on Kapur’s death.