Audrius Gocentas, prominent rheumatologist, dies unexpectedly

Rheumatologist and PhD Audrius Gocentas passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday morning at the Vilnius Antakalnis Polyclinic. After feeling unwell and losing consciousness at his workplace, colleagues attempted resuscitation for over an hour and a half, but were unable to save his life.

Gocentas, 61, also worked at the Utena Hospital Consultation Polyclinic for the past decade. He was a prominent figure in the Lithuanian basketball community, having served as the team doctor for the Vilnius Lietuvos rytas basketball club from 1997 to 2010.

Jonas Vainauskas, the long-time head of the Lietuvos rytas club, praised Gocentas as a highly professional, courageous, and principled specialist. Vainauskas noted that Gocentas was instrumental in establishing the club’s health and nutrition standards, strictly enforcing healthy eating habits and refusing to allow injured players to compete to prevent serious long-term consequences.