Cause of death revealed for Indiana Jones crew member, 54, found dead in hotel room while filming in Morocco
An Indiana Jones crew member who was found dead in his hotel room while filming the fifth and final film in Morocco died from heart disease, an inquest has ruled.
Nicholas Cupac, 54, who was among 100 crew members working on Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, was tragically found dead in Fes, Morocco, on October 31, 2021.
Mr Cupac, who was working as a camera grip on the blockbuster sequel starring Harrison Ford and Phoebe Waller-Bridge, died from ischaemic heart disease, an inquest in writing has revealed.
Ischaemic heart disease, also known as coronary heart disease or coronary artery disease, is a condition where the heart does not receive enough blood and oxygen due to narrowed or blocked arteries.
Crispin Butler, senior coroner for Buckinghamshire, said the cause of death was revealed following a post mortem examination in Morocco before Mr Cupac's body was returned to his family in Britain.
In written findings, Mr Butler concluded Mr Cupac's death as 'natural causes' and said the heart disease would have developed over a period of time.
Mr Cupac's mother, Jenny, paid tribute to her son after his death, saying her 'world will never be the same'.
In a statement via his trade union, Jenny said: 'Nick was my rock he made my life interesting, he made me laugh, giggle and sometimes cry, he took me travelling to places I would never had had the chance to go to.'
Nicholas Cupac (pictured), 54, who was among 100 crew members working on Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, was tragically found dead in Fes, Morocco, on October 31 2021
Mr Cupac's mother, Jenny (pictured with her late son), paid tribute to her son after his death, saying her 'world will never be the same'.
She described him as 'wise, caring and protective', adding: 'He didn’t just have friends, he valued them. From school, colleges, arborists, neighbours and all in the film world.
'His most redeeming feature being, if he lost the plot or his temper, he would always regret it and attempt to apologise.
'I feel blessed to have been his mother. My world will never be the same.'
The Grips Branch, a branch of the trade union Bectu, which represents Grips and Crane Technicians in film and TV, revealed that Mr Cupac, from Bridlington, Yorkshire, and his mother had bought a small caravan which they had plans to 'do the fairs' with in the future.
They added: 'When the job in Morocco came up and Nic although suffering somewhat with his sleep apnea and a bit under par decided to go, for where he liked to be was with the crew, the lads whose company he enjoyed and the work he loved this was where he was happiest. It was his last gig.'
The tragedy was part of a number of incidents that took place during filming for the action-adventure anthology, which was directed by James Mangold and produced by Steven Spielberg and released in 2023.
Mr Cupac was working as a camera grip on the blockbuster sequel starring Harrison Ford and Phoebe Waller-Bridge (pictured), died from ischaemic heart disease, an inquest in writing has revealed
Four months after Mr Cupac's death, it emerged that Harrison Ford helped another crew member on the set of Indiana Jones 5 who was in the midst of a suspected heart attack.
A source told The Sun at the time that the shocking incident took place while the final scenes were being filmed at Pinewood Studios in England.
'All of a sudden a male member of crew collapsed,' the source said.
Ford 'was standing just yards away and yelled for a medic,' saying, 'Get me a medic quick,' the source added.
Ford was also sidelined for three months during filming after he 'sustained an injury involving his shoulder' while in rehearsal for a fight sequence.
The film faced multiple delays during the pandemic, as it was first scheduled to come out in July 9 2021, then delayed to July 29 2022, and only came out in June 2023.
It was the fifth instalment in the film series, which followed Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) and Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981).
