HEARTBREAKING: Ljubiša Suffered a Heart Attack in the Water, Used His Last Ounce of Strength to Hand His Grandchild to His Daughter Before Dying!

Ljubiša Đorđević (65) from Leskovac was on vacation with his wife, daughter, and two grandsons, aged five and three, when he died of a heart attack at Glarokavos Beach, near Pefkohori on the Halkidiki peninsula, Jugmedia reports.

“He had been in the water for about ten minutes with his younger grandson when, at one point, he started waving to his daughter from a distance. She initially thought the little boy was bothering him, so she shouted back, ‘Just let him float, he has an inflatable ring and swimming armbands.’ But he kept waving frantically, and that’s when she realized something was terribly wrong,” Ljubiša’s son-in-law, Marko Nikolić, told Jugmedia.

According to him, Ljubiša’s daughter swam over to her father, and the moment she took the child from him, his head fell into the water.

“It was a heart attack. His hand was still holding onto the inflatable mattress. With the help of other people, she somehow managed to pull him to shore. She told me he gasped twice, but after that he showed no signs of life. They tried to perform CPR. A Greek man who owns a nearby café and his wife did everything they could—they brought water, umbrellas, and helped in every possible way. Macedonians and Serbians also rushed to help. A doctor from Pefkohori arrived, and my wife performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, but they couldn’t even open his mouth,” Marko said.

He believes Ljubiša gathered the last of his strength to make sure his daughter first took the child to safety so the little boy would not be frightened.

“I think he used his final strength to make sure his grandson was safe. Only after she reached him did he let go and collapse.”

Emergency medical teams soon arrived at the scene. They attached a defibrillator and repeatedly attempted to revive him with electric shocks. The resuscitation efforts lasted around 40 minutes, but sadly, doctors were unable to save his life.

“He Was an Excellent Swimmer”

“I want people to know that he did not drown, as some media outlets have reported. He was an excellent swimmer. He remained conscious until the moment he was pulled from the water. He lost consciousness only then. It was a heart attack,” Marko stressed.

He explained that his father-in-law had traveled to Greece with his wife, daughter, and grandchildren as a gift from his daughter to celebrate her parents’ 40th wedding anniversary.

“My wife wanted to treat them to this vacation. They arrived on Monday. That morning he had gone for a walk, slept well, eaten breakfast. He had previous heart problems and had undergone triple bypass surgery in Belgrade, but you think you’ve overcome the worst after something like that. He hadn’t complained of any health issues, drove himself all the way to the seaside, and then they went to the beach. They had been there for only about ten minutes when it happened,” Marko said.

He added that the family expects Ljubiša’s body to be transported from Greece on Saturday, with the funeral likely to take place on Sunday.

“One of the Most Positive People I’ve Ever Known”

Marko also wanted to pay tribute to his father-in-law, saying he had nothing but admiration for him.

“He was one of the most positive people I’ve ever met—always smiling and so happy to be spending time at the seaside with his family. He was a passionate Red Star Belgrade supporter. He was the best grandfather in the world. He changed my sons’ diapers, bathed them, took them to kindergarten—he did everything grandmothers and mothers usually do. Whatever anyone needed, he was always there,” Marko said, adding that he cried throughout the journey to Greece.

He also revealed that the rest of the family had planned to join them on Friday for a holiday together, but instead, he and his wife are now searching through Pefkohori for clothes for Ljubiša’s funeral.

News of his death has deeply saddened the people of Leskovac, where he was known as a hardworking, honest, and devoted family man. Friends, neighbors, and acquaintances have been paying tribute to him on social media.

By order of the competent authorities, an autopsy and forensic examination will be carried out at the Forensic Medicine Service in Thessaloniki to determine the exact cause of death.