Renowned Thai actor Winai Kraibutr died on Wednesday (March 20) night from a blood infection while receiving treatment at CGH Saimai Hospital in Bangkok. He was 54.
His wife, Onchanya, posted on her Facebook ‘Rest in peace’ at around midnight on Wednesday following the actor’s death. The couple had three sons.
Winai had been suffering from a rare skin condition known as bullous pemphigoid for five years. The disease caused him to lose weight and he was forced to stop accepting acting jobs.
Born on June 16, 1969, Winai appeared in several films that achieved significant success at the Thai box office. Two of his films Nang Nak and Bang Rajan, released consecutively in 1999 and 2000, earned more than 150mil baht each at the box office, earning him the nickname "Hundred Million Baht Hero".
Winai also appeared in several advertisements, music videos, TV dramas and comedies, as well as a joint Cambodian-Thai low-budget film titled The Snake King's Child.
He was named best supporting actor in 2016 by the Thai TV Gold Awards for his role in the drama series The Angels 2.
He received bachelor's and master's degrees in business administration from Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University. – The Nation/Asia News Network