A mathematics teacher died of a heart attack in a rally organized by his colleagues to support him after he was reportedly scolded by the governor of Yalova, a western Turkish city.

Halil Serkan Öz first made the headlines last month after media outlets reported he was openly scolded in front of his colleagues and students for his long hair and beard. Governor Selim Cebiroğlu was quoted by Turkish media as saying: "What kind of teacher are you? People would think you are a beggar rather than a teacher?" The governor then allegedly told the teacher to leave the school and get his beard cut and further scolded the school administration for allowing Öz.

The incident sparked outrage among teachers and thus led to a public outrage, with many pouring to the streets to show their support for the teacher.

On Friday, Öz joined a crowd from the teachers' union in his support and to advocate casual dressing and hairstyle for teachers. The 42-year-old man collapsed during the rally and died of a heart attack.

His tragic death further escalated outrage against the governor who simply offered his condolences, keeping his silence like he did after his fit of rage toward the teacher was first reported.

Turkish media reported that the teacher, who recently got divorced from his wife had lapsed into a bout of depression after the governor's remarks. His father was quoted as saying "the governor can take a breath of relief for my son now that he has died."

Öz's death was particularly devastating for the teachers' community who staged protests against the governor yesterday. A teachers' union in Bursa, a city neighboring Yalova, announced that teachers will not attend the first classes of the day today to protest "violence" against teachers. The Turkish Educators' Union Bursa branch called the government to suspend the governor and launch an inquiry into the incident.