An autopsy on Ray MacDonald, who was found dead at his home yesterday, showed that he died from blockages in three coronary arteries, resulting in insufficient blood flow to the heart, his close friend Bhudhipong Sreewatana said today.
It was comforting to know that Ray died peacefully and did not appear to experience any pain or suffering, he said.
Doctors had told the family that his condition would have been similar to falling asleep before he gradually lost consciousness, he said.
Ray, 49, was found by his wife on a couch on the first floor of their home in the Pattanakarn area on Wednesday morning.
She had tried to wake him so that he could take their son to school, only to discover that he was already dead.
CCTV footage showed Ray apparently collapsing on the couch at around midnight.
Bhudhipong was speaking while waiting with Ray’s family and friends to collect his body from the Institute of Forensic Medicine.
Ray was not someone who often complained about his health, but Bhudhipong recalled noticing that he appeared more tired than usual when they took part in activities together.
At the time, he said he did not think much of it because Ray was constantly thinking about work and may not have been getting enough rest.
He had previously encouraged Ray to get a health check-up, but Ray was rather stubborn and did not like visiting doctors.
Bhudhipong, also known as Leo Put, and Ray were close friends who also became business partners.
Together with Paopon Thephasdin na Ayutthaya, they established Rayron, meaning “wanderer”, which later became a platform for their online travel and conversation programmes.
Bhudhipong dismissed speculation that Ray’s drinking habits may have contributed to his death, saying Ray had stopped drinking nearly 30 years ago.
As for the future of Rayron, he said the three friends had once jokingly discussed what would happen if one of them died, agreeing that the remaining two would continue working together.
Nonetheless, he said it was too soon to discuss the future of the company following Ray’s death and that any decision on whether the business should continue should ultimately be left to Ray’s heirs.
Ray, a Thai-Scottish actor, was best known not only as an actor but also as a pioneering Thai travel-show host who helped popularise an adventurous, backpacker-style approach to travel television.
Rather than simply showcasing famous tourist attractions or luxury destinations, he travelled like an ordinary backpacker, often using local transport, meeting local people, trying unfamiliar food and embracing unexpected experiences along the way.
His relaxed, humorous and sometimes daring personality made viewers feel as if they were travelling alongside him.
Over the years, his programmes inspired a generation of Thais to see travel not simply as visiting destinations, but as a way of discovering different cultures, people and ways of life.
