Condolences and shock have started pouring in for Kannada ‘power star’ Puneeth Rajkumar, who passed away in Bengaluru on Friday morning following a heart attack. He was working out in a gym when he suffered a heart attack and was immediately rushed to Vikram Hospital, Bengaluru and was being treated in ICU. He was 46 years old.
Puneeth Rajkumar was a huge star in the Kannada film industry and has been a public figure since the 1980s. He started his acting career as a child artist in Chalisida Modagalu (1983) and Bettada Hoovu (1985) and later as an adult lead hero in 2002 in the Kannada film Appu.
Soon after the news of his death was made public condolences and shock started pouring in not only from the film fraternity but also from politicians and sports celebrities. Fellow actors Darshan, Ravichandran and Yash, filmmaker Yograj Bhat and politicians, including former Chief Minister and JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy, were among those who visited the hospital when he was being treated.
The actor’s untimely demise has sent shockwaves amongst his fans and across the country. Southern stars including Jr NTR, Mahesh Babu, Chiranjeevi, Lakshmi Manchu, R Madhavan, Dulquer Salmaan, and Prithviraj Sukumaran, Siddharth expressed grief and wished strength for his family, While Ajay Devgan, Abhishek Bachchan, Pooja Hedge, Boney Kapoor, Ritesh Deshmukh condoled the actor’s sudden death. Former cricketers Anil Kumble, Virender Sehwag, Venkatesh Prasad and Harbhajan Singh were among those sports stars who offered their tributes on Twitter.
Also Read: Kannada film star Puneet Rajkumar passes away after suffering cardiac arrest while working out
Meanwhile, Puneeth’s fans are remembering the late actor as “one of the kindest and noblest” film stars and have gathered outside the hospital to see him for the last time.