ITV Coronation Street actor collapsed and died in front of horrified friends on holiday
Tragedy struck when "joyful" actor Joseph Wandera suddenly collapsed at a music festival friends before dying. The actor, known for his role in Coronation Street in 2018, died in Costa Rica on January 16, 2022.
He had been at the BPM music festival with friends when he collapsed suddenly, triggering a desperate but futile attempt by pals to save him, an inquest was told on Tuesday. Upon being found seizing on the floor, the toxicology report later revealed recreational drugs were present in his system.
Area Coroner Catherine McKenna cited 'ketamine and MDMA toxicity' as the medical cause of death during the hearing, asserting, "Joseph took these drugs of his own free will and I'm satisfied he did not intend this outcome." The incident occurred one week into his vacation when Joseph became disorientated and lost "in the middle of a forest by the coast".
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Seeking assistance, he messaged Renay Zollner at 3am via WhatsApp, prompting her to embark on a 50-minute drive to rescue him. Despite appearing fatigued with bags under his eyes, something Renay deemed "normal" against the backdrop of continuous party revelry ,the precise location of his villa remained unknown, leading Renay to take him to her own apartment.
Joseph had suggested sleeping on the couch, but she declined and instead covered him with a blanket on the bed, noting he wasn't "not hot or sweaty". At 7.15am, one of the boys staying over, Fidel, woke her to say Joseph was "fitting on the floor", reports the Mirror.
Renay instructed him to put Joseph in the recovery position. Within five minutes, Fidel called out to her in panic. She found Joseph on the floor without a pulse, although he was still breathing.
They phoned for an ambulance and were told to "start CPR", with Fidel performing chest compressions in desperation. Paramedics arrived at the scene only to confirm that "nothing more could be done", according to Renay.
Claire Beatson, Joseph's heartbroken mother, expressed her shock in court upon learning that Joseph had taken ecstasy and confessed to his girlfriend, Alison Maloney, about using an unknown substance known as 'Pink Stuff'. The day before he passed away, he messaged his girlfriend saying he was "getting on it like mad".
The following morning, he sent another disturbing message to Alison, who was in England, stating: "Not gonna lie, I don't know what was in the f****** thing that I f****** took. I can only type with my left hand and now I can't see out of my left eye."
The coroner expressed her hope that the tragic incident "serves as a warning to people taking recreational drugs". She further added: "Joseph was a talented, gregarious and joyful young man who had a promising career ahead of him and everything to live for."