Greek Singer’s Death Throws Spotlight on Private Doctors’ ‘Wellness’ Claims

When popular Greek singer Giorgos Mazonakis passed away suddenly at a private clinic in the upscale central Athens neighbourhood of Kolonaki last month, his fans were shocked.

Just 54 years old, Mazonakis was undergoing plasmapheresis, a medical procedure that removes plasma from the blood and replaces it with new plasma fluid. He suffered a heart attack and was pronounced dead on September 9.

Known officially as Therapeutic Plasma Exchange, or TPE, plasmapheresis can be used to treat a range of conditions, including myeloma, multiple sclerosis, and some leukaemias, by removing plasma from the patient’s blood and replacing it with fresh donor plasma or bottled human albumin solution.

The procedure, however, has also gained popularity as supposedly promoting ‘longevity’, ‘anti-ageing’, ‘mental clarity’ and ‘resilience’.