Thirty-one year old real estate agent Adam Petrelli died unexpectedly of a heart attack last night after working out at the gym.
Petrelli collapsed in the men’s locker room at Equinox Fitness at 2465 Broadway at 92nd Street, said his father, Tony Petrelli, and was pronounced dead at St. Luke’s Hospital at 9:27 pm.
An autopsy showed that Petrelli, a salesperson in the Columbus Circle office at Bond New York, had died of a massive coronary, his father said. Though he had no knowledge of previous heart conditions, the autopsy showed he had experienced previous minor heart attacks, but probably was unaware of them.
Raised in Littleton, Colo., Petrelli had lived in New York City for the past 10 years, and in a one-bedroom Apartment On 151st Street in Hamilton Heights for the last five, his family said.
He graduated from Colorado College in 1998 with a degree in theater and lighting design, and moved to New York in hopes of pursuing a career in the theater. After holding a series of odd jobs, the outgoing Petrelli started working in real estate nearly two years ago, his father said, and discovered a passion for the relationship-oriented business.
“He loved to feel like he made a difference for people, whether it was helping them find an apartment, or in a friendship,” said Petrelli, who lives in Littleton, Colo. with Petrelli’s stepmother.
Petrelli did both rentals and sales and was just starting to come into his own as an agent, said Bruno Ricciotti, a principal at Bond New York. Petrelli had done eight deals in January so far and was in the running to win a Bond New York contest for the most deals of the month.
“He’s only a year and a half into the business and he was probably going to do a dozen deals in January,” Ricciotti said. “He was just becoming a star.” He added: “He was just a really nice guy.”
Petrelli told his father early this week that he was thrilled to be making progress in real estate.
“He was working really hard,” his father said. “He was really excited.”
Petrelli was keenly intelligent, his father said, winning a prestigious academic scholarship that gave him a free ride at Colorado College. There he joined the debate club, traveling to destinations as far away as China and Greece for competitions. He was also president of the Kappa Sigma fraternity, and enjoyed playing the keyboard, saxophone and trumpet, said his stepmother, Shonya Petrelli.
Petrelli’s mother, Mary Gallo, and his stepfather, Craig Gallo, live in Centennial, Colo.
Petrelli loved New York City and spent much of his time going to the theater, hanging out with friends and working out, which he did nearly every day, his father said.
“He lived life very deeply,” his father said.