LUCKNOW, May 14 -- Prateek Yadav, businessman and stepson of late Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav from his second wife Sadhna Gupta, died in Lucknow on Wednesday morning at the age of 38, officials said. Prateek Yadav was the husband of BJP leader Aparna Yadav and had largely remained away from active politics despite belonging to one of Uttar Pradesh's most prominent political families. He was Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav's stepbrother. Information regarding Prateek Yadav's deteriorating health was received around 5am, after which a medical team was rushed to his residence, according to Civil Hospital director Dr GP Gupta. "When the doctors reached there, his condition appeared critical. He was brought to the hospital, and despite all efforts by the medical team, he was declared dead at 5.55am," Dr Gupta said. Hospital sources said Prateek Yadav was brought to Civil Hospital around 5.30am. A post-mortem examination confirmed the cause of death as cardiorespiratory collapse due to massive pulmonary thromboembolism (a blood clot in the lungs). He had been undergoing treatment for lung-related issues prior to his demise. Viscera samples have been preserved. "Cardiorespiratory collapse due to massive pulmonary thromboembolism as noted. However, whole heart and thromboembolic material preserved in formalin for histopathological examination and viscera preserved for chemical analysis and handed over to C.P. concerned, vide viscera no. 752/2026," the post-mortem report said. The post-mortem was conducted by a panel headed by Prof Mausami Singh, along with senior resident Dr Fatima Harsha and junior resident Dr Himanshu Patel, according to officials familiar with the matter at King George's Medical University. Prateek Yadav had reportedly been admitted multiple times over the past year to Medanta Hospital in Lucknow for treatment related to several health complications. His latest admission reportedly took place on April 29 after his condition deteriorated, though he was later discharged following improvement. In an official statement, Medanta Hospital, said: "Prateek Yadav was a known case of HTN (Hypertension) and DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis) and used to visit Medanta Lucknow for treatment. He recently visited the hospital with sudden onset breathing difficulty and chest discomfort and was diagnosed with sub-massive pulmonary embolism with cardiac involvement. He was last seen on April 29, 2026." The news of his demise triggered condolences from political leaders across party lines. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief over the death. In a message posted on social media platform X, he termed Prateek Yadav's untimely demise "extremely saddening". Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also expressed grief over the death of his stepbrother. In a post on X, Akhilesh said Prateek had always wanted to move ahead in life through his own hard work and had remained conscious about his health since childhood. He said he had met Prateek around two months ago and had advised him to take care of his health and focus on expanding his business. Aparna Yadav, who was in Assam for an official engagement, returned to Lucknow after receiving news of her husband's death. His last rites are scheduled for Thursday....