Fully vaccinated Indian actress and model Shefali Jariwala, who promoted the shots to millions of fans in 2021, passed away at her Mumbai home on June 27 after suffering cardiac arrest. She was 42.
Jariwala promoted the mRNA vaccines during the roll out in India in early 2021, posting videos on social media showing her receiving her doses. She wrote “Finally got my first dose! Protect yourself… Protect others too… Getting vaccinated is the only way to beat Covid_19.”
Died at age 42 from cardiac arrest. https://t.co/Gfnkf4ggIh
— Mary Talley Bowden MD (@MdBreathe) July 2, 2025
Fast forward four years and she is dead after joining a long list of young and healthy people to suffer cardiac arrest. Her husband, actor Parag Tyagi, along with family members, rushed her to the Bellevue Multispecialty Hospital, where she was pronounced dead upon arrival.
A formal post-mortem was conducted at Cooper Hospital, and police have ruled out foul play, reporting the death as natural pending further chemical and toxicology tests.
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| Shefali with hubsand Parag Tyagi shortly before her sudden and unexpected death |
Tributes have poured in from across the Indian entertainment industry. Bollywood stars like Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor have appealed for privacy for the family, while colleagues such as Mika Singh described the loss as “absolutely shocking.”
The police said that Shefali was observing a fast on Sunday performed at her residence. Her husband told the police that she collapsed after consuming food that was prepared a day before.
The police have recorded statements of the actor’s husband and family members. The police also found two boxes containing anti-ageing tablets, skin glow tablets and vitamin tablets and Shefali’s family said that she had been taking the tablets without doctor’s consultation but it never caused any problem to her.