Beloved Long Island surgeon known for ‘serenading patients’ collapses and dies after triathlon: ‘All around great guy’

A beloved Long Island orthopedic surgeon known for “serenading patients” with music between procedures tragically died Sunday after he collapsed during a local triathlon he competed in every year.

Dr. Peter Sultan, a renowned orthopedic surgeon at Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead, died suddenly at the age of 54 while participating in the Jamesport Triathlon, an annual event sponsored by the hospital, leaving his colleagues and family stunned and heartbroken.

“It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Dr. Peter Sultan, a respected and compassionate physician whose dedication to patient care, medical excellence, and community well-being left a lasting impact on all who knew him,” Northwell Health said in a statement.

“Dr. Sultan was not only a skilled and trusted member of the medical community, but also a mentor, colleague, and friend to many. His legacy will live on in the countless lives he touched throughout his distinguished career. He will be greatly missed.”

The father of two, who was an avid athlete and had trained ahead of the multi-sport endurance race, was known for lifting the spirits of his patients and their families with his outgoing personality and his affinity for music throughout his 20-year career. 

The Westhampton man, a skilled pianist, reportedly found joy in performing concerts in the hospital lobby – often in his scrubs – serenading patients during impromptu performances with his musical partner, Jerome Foster Lewis, and easing the nerves of their family members after surgeries.

“The unexpected concerts gave them the uplift they needed,” said Lewis, a patient experience specialist at PBMC, the Riverhead Local reported.

“It was a joy for us too. It was uplifting and gave us the strength we needed. He would always say, ‘Medicine cures the body, but music cures the soul. People saw the analytical side of him. I got to see the artist. It was a side of him I’m so grateful I got to experience.”

Lisa Hubbard, administrative director of orthopedic services, said the usually bustling hospital has been left eerily quiet since Sultan’s sudden death.

“I’ve never seen it like this before,” she told the outlet, adding how the pair joined the medical facility at the same time in 2005. 

“Everyone loved Dr. Sultan. Everyone is reeling from this loss.”

The Harvard Medical grad spent nine years as chairman of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, according to his LinkedIn.

His unwavering dedication also earned him a reputation as one of New York’s top hip and knee replacement surgeons, and in 2012, he was honored with the hospital’s Physician of the Year award.

“Orthopedics really is the service that changed this hospital,” PMBC Executive Director Amy Loeb said.

“He took a chance on us as a hospital and as a community and really built the hospital, and started to turn the reputation of the hospital around. Patient by patient, he changed lives. Thanks to his joint replacement practice, thousands of people are able to move and walk and dance and enjoy their families.

“He was so committed to his practice, to his patients, to the hospital — just an all around great guy.”

A prayer service will be held Thursday at Tuthill-Mangano Funeral Home in Riverhead at 11 a.m.